Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi has backed the Sports (Amendment) Bill, 2024, hailing it as a long-overdue reform that could transform Kenya’s sporting landscape.
The Bill, tabled by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, seeks to amend the current Sports Act to establish County Sports Association Funds.
Each county would allocate at least one per cent of its revenue to these funds, supplementing them with grants, loans and donations from both public and private sources.
“This is a very progressive piece of legislation which we should all support,” Senator Osotsi remarked.
“If sports is properly funded and harnessed, it can be one of the ways of raising money for this country. Countries have developed largely because of investment in sports.”
Osotsi, drawing from his own legislative history and research, lamented the current underfunding of county-level sports initiatives.
Using his home county of Vihiga as an example — where the sports fund receives less than Kshs10 million annually — he stressed that such meager allocations are incapable of producing meaningful impact.
He further urged Senator Sifuna to amend the Bill to allow funding from the national government’s shareable revenue, noting that sports is a shared function between the two levels of government.
“Counties develop the facilities and activities, but the national government promotes the sport. If that is the case, then they should also share the funding,” he argued.
Osotsi also called for inquiry into how the Sports Arts and Social Development Fund has been managed, questioning why it remains under the National Treasury rather than the Ministry of Sports.
“How can the PS for Treasury administer a fund meant for sports?” he asked. “It’s time we brought that fund back where it belongs.”
Osotsi challenged the national government to complete Joe Kadenge Sports Academy whose construction has stalled.
The Senator reaffirmed his full support for the amendment and called on fellow lawmakers to rally the bill , not only to honor the legacy of President Mwai Kibaki but to create a sustainable future where sports can thrive as both a profession and an economic driver.
“This is not just a Bill. It’s a mission to rescue and restore the dreams of our young people,” Osotsi said and added: “If we take this step now, we’ll look back years from today and know we did the right thing for Kenya.”
