Treat sports legends well - Daily Nation

The death of legendary former Kenya soccer international Joe Kadenge last weekend has once again revived the old debate about how our sports legends should be treated. Most of them are either living in misery or die paupers with no recognition or help, despite having brought fame and glory to the country through their sporting prowess.

This brings to the fore the question: What happened to the Kenya Heroes Act of 2014?

Kadenge is a vivid example of the struggles our heroes and heroines go through. What is perplexing is that when disaster strikes, as it has now, the political elite jostle to organise fundraisers for the burial or to support the bereaved families.

At present, the politicians are haggling to fundraise for Kadenge’s burial yet they were nowhere when he needed cash to offset his medical bills.

That some MPs want Nyayo National Stadium renamed after Kadenge is the peak of hypocrisy. Why wasn’t the stadium named after him when he was alive?

Just like Kadenge, Naftali Bon and Nyandika Maiyoro passed on early this year as they pleaded for medical assistance.

While we commend President Uhuru Kenyatta for having visited Kadenge both in hospital and at his home, donating cash for his medical expenses and putting him under the National Hospital Insurance Fund cover, more needs to be done to appreciate our sporting legends.

The Sports ministry under Amina Mohamed needs to create a structure for supporting sports heroes and heroines. County governments that allocate millions of shillings to sports should also come to the assistance of these forgotten legends.