Sports CS nominee Ababu Namwamba says he will work towards ending what is now a worrying trend of Kenyan athletes switching nationalities in search of better pay for their trade.USA, Bahrain, Qatar, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Turkey, Israel, and Kazakhstan are countries that have been poaching Kenyan citizens to represent them on international platforms as was witnessed at the Olympics and at the 2022 championships.The switch in nationalities coupled with the never-ending doping bans being witnessed spells what could be a gloomy future for Kenya who have dominated the middle and long-distance races for decades.Namwamba, who is set to replace outgoing CS Amina Mohammed understands just how big the problem is and wants to tame it. He admits that athletes have been forced to run away as they are not underappreciated and wants to change the situation once he takes over.”We do not appreciate our sports people enough. We have seen some of them changing their nationality. We can do more in motivating them. But importantly for me is to provide an avenue where our sports people can comfortably live off the sweat of their brow, and providing that legislative and policy framework,” he told the vetting committee on Friday afternoon.Ababu Namwamba proposes formation of an Alibaba-like portal where young Kenyan artists and creatives can market their products. pic.twitter.com/XnIHCxadqW— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) October 21, 2022 The CS nominee who will be returning to the second for a second time also noted that other sports like hockey, cricket, and boxing where Kenya once thrived have died, and wants to revamp them.”If you look at many countries who have grown exponentially in this space, they just get the basics right. At one point, Kenya used to be represented in hockey at the Olympics. We used to be a powerhouse in boxing and cricket, but these sports are no longer anywhere on the horizon. We are just not paying attention to the breeding grounds of sports,” he added.Ababu Namwamba pledges to help solve FIFA suspension on day one in office
