In a spirited exchange during a public participation forum on the Sports Amendment Bill, 2024, the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare pushed back against a proposal by Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, Kipchumba Murkomen, suggesting that counties independently manage the establishment of sports academies without a statutory framework. Sponsored by Senators Prof. Tom Ojienda (Kisumu) and Raphael Chimera, the Bill seeks to establish county sports academies nationwide and includes protections against abuse and exploitation of minors in sports.

Committee chair Sen Julius Murgor (West Pokot) voiced concerns over the lack of a proactive approach to sports development across the 47 counties, emphasizing the need for clear policies to guide counties in establishing these academies. 

"We need policies that detail how counties should implement these structures proactively,” Murgor said, underscoring the Committee's call for cohesive frameworks.

Supporting this view, Vice-Chair Sen George Mbugua highlighted that consistent guidelines could provide necessary standardisation in the sector to bolster national efforts to develop a widespread talent pipeline across counties. Sen Mohammed Faki (Mombasa) further echoed the sentiment, arguing that the National Government bears a central responsibility in steering policy formation that would enable counties to align with national talent goals.

Despite acknowledging the proposed Bill’s benefits, Murkomen urged the Committee to hold off on progressing the Bill, citing his Ministry’s current review of the National Sports Policy, 2005, and the Sports Act, 2013. The review, expected to conclude by December, aims to integrate the efforts of the Sports and Education Ministries to enhance early talent identification, particularly within schools. 

“We believe schools are crucial spaces for the real identification of talent,” he stated, advocating for an intergovernmental framework that delineates national and county roles.

Murkomen also praised the Bill’s protective measures for minors, specifically provisions aimed at shielding minors from physical, emotional and financial abuse. He noted that gender violence remains one of the greatest obstacles to the nation’s sports development.