- This weekend they will host the beach games organised by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya and Kilfi county.
- He said apart from the beach games they have scheduled more activities all over the county including scouting for talents.
Image: ALPHONCE GARI
Kilifi county has unveiled sporting activities as a way of nurturing skills and addressing the drug abuse menace in the region.
The county said the programme seeks to identify talents as young as 13 years in different fields to promote them and take them to greater heights.
Already the county hosted a cycling competition organised by the Malindi Cycling Club, the event attracted cyclists from Kenya and Tanzania.
This weekend they will host the beach games organised by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya and Kilfi county.
Speaking during a prize-giving ceremony after the cycling competition Chief Officer for Sports and Youths Affairs Naftal Owino said the county aims was to use sports to reach the youths and the society at large.
“Every time we have this kind of activities we reduce the vices of teenage pregnancies, substance abuse and lifestyle diseases,” he said.
The cycling event attracted different age groups including under 18s, and under 23s categories for men and an open tournament for ladies.
Owino thanked the Malindi business community who sponsored the event.
“We are going to partner with them in the PPPs (Public private partnerships) to make sure sports is given the right attention that it deserves,” he said.
He said apart from the beach games they have scheduled more activities all over the county including scouting for talents.
Owino urged MCAs to ensure they work on a reasonable budget to the programme.
Malindi Town ward MCA Radhid Odhiambo said sports are important as they create job opportunities. He further called for proper cooperation between all stakeholders to ensure more talented youths are nurtured.
“I think this is one of the first cycling competitions in Malindi and I hope it will continue for a long time. We expect to have more competitions of international status that will be held in Malindi,” he said.
The MCA said for Malindi it was a new dawn as there was new leadership in Kilifi that is committed to promoting talents through sports.
He also said there was a need to increase the allocation of funding in the sports department.
Aisha Abubakar from Tawfiq Hospital said they are ready to provide more support to the programme whenever called upon.
“We welcome all those seeking services to come to our hospital instead of travelling to Mombasa or far than that,” she said.
Dola Malindi Depot manager Suleiman Salim urged the county to support more such initiatives to make sports more vibrant in Kilifi
Johnson Mwadime a cyclist encouraged the county to erect lanes for cyclists to promote cycling events.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)