- The CS are said to be eyeing political seats and using the tourneys as springboards.
- The expensive tournaments are coming at a time the country is facing hard economic times.
Image: MAURICE ALAL
A section of President William Ruto’s Cabinet Secretaries have been in an unprecedented spending spree, splashing millions in village tournaments during the festive seasons.
Coming at a time the country is facing hard economic times, the CSs have been all over organising youth tournaments where prize money runs into millions of shillings.
Taking the game specifically to their home counties, the ministers – most of whom have political ambitions – are seen as setting stage for a duel with incumbents ahead of the 2027 polls.
Tournaments have become some of the most effective ways of mobilising voters and popularising one’s candidature.
Governance analyst, Javas Bigambo, while not ruling out the political angle, said sports has emerged as critical political mobilisation tool to push one’s candidature.
“CSs are using soccer as a tool of political mobilisation because it is emerging to their political consciousness as a critical tool for mobilisation, awareness creation and, in fact, personal profiling and branding,” he said.
“The issue of utilising and exploring sports, especially soccer, is gaining political popularity as a political tool for mobilisation as well as engaging the very significant demographic in the society that the youths are.”
CSs Eliud Owalo (ICT), Susan Nakhumicha (Health), Moses Kuria (Public Service), Ababu Namwamba (Sports) and Cleophas Malala (without portfolio) are among Ruto ministers who have rolled out multi-million sports tournament in their regions.
The latest entrant into the fray is CS Kuria who is having his event from next month, with winners set to take home Sh5 million.
The runner-up will pocket Sh3 million while third place will win Sh1 million, bringing the total prize money to Sh9 million.
According to Kuria, the activity is meant to mentor and counsel the youth in Mt Kenya region.
This comes just weeks after Eliud Owalo Super Cup tournament that featured in all four counties of the vast Nyanza region.
The winners took home Sh400,000, Sh300,000, Sh200,000 and Sh100,000 for the top four positions, respectively.
The ground-breaking initiative aims to revitalise football standards.
Malala Supercup fifth edition was also launched with a grand prize of Sh3 million and Sh1.5 million for second place holder.
The UDA secretary general also gave Sh1 million and Sh500,000 for third and fourth place winners, respectively.
Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen, under the OKM Foundation, held a similar tournament, christened North Rift OKM Peace Football Tournament.
The inaugural tourney brought together Turkana, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Baringo and West Pokot counties.
The winning team in each county went home with Sh500,000 while the overall winner pocketed Sh1 million.
On December 29, Nakhumicha held the fourth edition of the Nakhumicha Cup in Trans Nzoia county, where the winner scooped Sh500,000. Second and third place received Sh300,000 and Sh100,000, respectively.
Couched as talent search platforms, the tournaments have also received criticism, with critics terming them a cover-up for government failure to fulfil promises.
Kenya National Civil Society Centre executive director Suba Churchill likened the new wave of tournaments to the 1992 Youth for Kanu where monies were splashed to win support for government in power.
“I think they are using very unorthodox means, having failed to meet most of their election promises of putting money in the pockets of citizens,” Suba said on phone.
“It is a continuation of Youth for Kanu that believed that a country can be built through handouts. They are using other tactics to find mechanism of giving handouts, we have seen a lot of that in the prize monies.”
According to the activist, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission should step in and probe the source of millions being given by the CSs.
“EACC should investigate the source of these monies that they are able to carry along and just give out so casually and the spontaneous change in lifestyle.”