The August 9 general election is approaching and Kenyans are immersed in a political frenzy as the campaigning hits fever pitch. Political parties and aspiring politicians are aligning themselves to clinch government and political seats. Coalitions have been formed and political realignments continue to take shape.
Topical issues such as corruption, ballooning public debt, unemployment, high taxation, inflation, rising fuel prices and living standards have dominated political rallies, functions and talk show interviews.
Politicians from either divide have argued and debated each other about the above, shaping the agenda and whoever promises to solve them believes that Wanjiku will give them the confidence and power to lead the government once President Uhuru Kenyatta vacates office.
However, the youth agenda and sports fraternity have not been addressed adequately by the political class aiming to form the next government. The majority of unemployed Kenyans are the youth.
Our universities have been churning out graduates every year who end up not getting opportunities to pursue their careers due to inadequate or lack of employment opportunities and exorbitant licences to set up businesses.
According to a World Bank report via the International Labor Organization released in February, the unemployment rate in the country as at 2020 was 13.5 per cent compared to 7.3 per cent in 2016.
Unemployment among the youth is a ticking time bomb that needs to be addressed quickly and soberly to save the country’s posterity. The youth are struggling with depression, betting and gambling, theft and robbery and fraud, while the suicide rate is going up.
Most of these ills could be cured with an economy that is giving equal opportunities to all, fair taxation, encourages entrepreneurship, creates market for farm produce and political goodwill from leaders.
Members of the sports fraternity are yearning for when a government will see sports as a job like any other, one that can put meals on the table and pay taxes to build the nation.
For far too long, sportspeople have been embarrassed in foreign countries, sleeping at airports because hotel rooms were not paid for, delayed salaries and allowances, and inadequate kits or sports equipment.
These sportspeople, despite all these shenanigans, still suit up, compete and hold the Kenyan flag high in regional and international engagements. Sanity should prevail once and for all. Punitive measures should be put in place to deter federation and government officials from hoodwinking athletes.
Every Kenyan wants to hear from the political aspirants how they will invest in grassroots tournaments that will identify raw talent, ink deals with foreign institutions that will offer scholarship opportunities from junior high school to university, charge corrupt federation and government officials and promote sports tourism among others.
One may wonder what the point of building stadia across the country is yet proper systems are not in place to assist athletes to achieve their goals and ambitions.
Kenyans should be playing in the top football leagues in Europe, basketball leagues, pro tennis tournaments and major boxing events, among other sports.
The way secondary school national sports completions are competitive, with students exhibiting their skills, passion, desire and loyalty to win, should not be let down the drain when they finish high school.
Such talents should be scooped immediately and housed in sports academies that will nurture their talent. Aspiring politicians should tell sportspeople the plans they have for sports as the sector contributes to the economy in many ways.
The writer comments on topical issues
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