Speed up athletes’ fund - Daily Nation

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s promise of financial support to cushion sportsmen and women from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic is laudable.

In his address to the nation on April 6, the president ordered the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts, through the Sports, Arts, and Social Development Fund, to set aside Sh100 million to support artists, actors and musicians during these harsh times.

And in a radio interview on Wednesday, Mr Kenyatta said the government was working on a plan to cushion athletes who are struggling financially owing to the effects of the pandemic.

The Sports Department is entitled to 35 per cent of the budget of the Sports, Arts, and Social Development Fund.

The government should now speed up the process of identifying the beneficiaries of this programme.

Since Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed suspended all sports activities countrywide and closed all sports facilities in a bid to contain the spread of the virus, athletes in different sporting disciplines have been hit hard.

Already, the Sports ministry has directed teams from Kenya Premier League, Women Premier League, National Super League, Division One and Division Two to provide names of 25 players and five officials for consideration.

Officials from Kenya Volleyball Federation and Kenya Rugby Union have also submitted names of athletes for consideration.

Athletes preparing for the 2020 World Athletics Under-20 Championships should also be considered since most come from humble backgrounds and struggle to make ends meet.

The Ministry of Sports and the concerned federations must scrutinise the lists to ensure that only genuine cases benefit.