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the spotlight. This has come a cropper in the past few weeks and may dwindle further if the sentiments of corporate firms are anything to go by. What is amusing is the Government’s knee-jerk response to the withdrawal of sponsorship monies – a KES 500 million contribution. It may seem like a sizeable amount but it is a trickling for all the sports bodies and organisations in need of financial support from withdrawal of sponsorship monies. Quick aside: I have a bone to pick with the national sports bodies and teams on the challenge of procuring a single sponsor for your sport. We have seen the tragedy of singular partnerships in sport that prove detrimental and cripple the organisations activities’. It started with the sourcing of media partnerships and overall sponsorships for their sporting disciplines. How many sports federations maintain databas- es of their players, sponsors and target audience (fans)? What engagement is driven on a regu- lar basis – beyond the fundraising and begging bowl? Which was the last sports federation to take its young discerning fans on a tour of its fa- cilities and entice them to support their sport or clubs? New CS - New Wine in Old Wine-skins? and maintenance of the projects and programmes of the sports agencies and estimated costs for every activity. Coming through in the last days of January were the appointments to the Cabinet that included the new Cabinet Secretary for Sports. With 2018, being a busy sporting year for #TeamKenya, then the new office If there is anything to learn from the bearer already does have his hands full. activities in January, it is the need for a number of corporate firms engaged in Starting off with the Winter Olympics in your sport. An example to learn from is Pyeongyang – South Korea (yes Kenya is the NBA, which has managed to rope in represented by the charming and affable sponsors for most of its activities. Watch Sabrina Wanjiru being only the second the NBA All-Star Game in the third Kenyan and a chosen few of Africans to weekend of February and you will know participate in the Games held under wet and chilly conditions on the icy slopes of what I am talking about. this city in Korea. 4 years since the enactment of the Sports Act, nothing has happened yet – no officials, no structure and still no monies to boot. As a top sporting nation, we should be serious with this Fund and it would have come in handy with the reduction of sponsorship monies. It must not be lost to most that it was in the 2015-16 IRB season that Kenya’s Shu- jaa won its first tro- phy in the circuit in Singapore. So what happened? From the change in manage- ment to the on-and- off relationships with sponsors,mismanage- ment and misappro- priation of players’- allowances; the sport has been on free-fall. 92 MAL22/18 ISSUE It was embarrassing to see a South Korean company decide to pick Sabrina’s tab for sponsorship to enable her train and participate at the upcoming Winter Games. Where are the myriad Kenyan companies’ and what other proposition would they need to invest and brand such a rare gem? Back to the CS’s matter, looking forward to his agenda for sport for Kenya in the next years. Beyond the political pronouncements – including the stadia et al – the most urgent matter is the setting up of the National Sports Lottery Fund. The Fund ought to form a centralised system and basis for disbursement of monies meant for sports development – be it the physical infrastructure or the sponsorship of teams especially those on national duty. Last year saw Kenya miss hosting the CHAN (which ended up in Morocco – and to add insult to injury their national team ended up winning this year’s edition). In total contradiction of the Government’s pledge to sport, the country hosted the World Athletics championships, which the IAAF gave raving commendations (sic). We can avoid such misadventures if the Ministry and relevant sports bodies had not only made the commitment to host continental and international sports fetes but also look towards investing for the future. This column has noted severally the need for infrastructure for our sports disciplines Sports Fund and with the devolved functions, it is now Drawing from the Sports Act, the Sports imperative for both national and local (read Lottery Fund would receive an annual county) governments to make this happen. sports programme at least 6 months before commencement of every financial Success Stories of Sports Fund year. This programme shall specify and outline a comprehensive plan of When and if the Sports Lottery Fund action for development, rehabilitation becomes operational, it can form the basis