World Cup Fever In Kenya

Preparations to enable Kenya reap bountiful gains with the coming of the FIFA World Cup in Africa for the first time ever has begun in earnest. This was revealed by Sports Minister, Prof Hellen Sambili, during the launch of the Steering Committee to market Kenya stadia prior to the world football showpiece event to be held from 11th June to 11th July next year in South Africa.

The committee, largely composed of seasoned professionals in the corporate world, will be primarily tasked with the responsibility of actualizing a strategic plan aimed at attracting participating teams and their fans into the country in the run-up to the football extravaganza.

In this grand scheme, the economic spin-offs are expected to be phenomenal; our derelict sports facilities and the tourism sector - that has lately taken some beating – in particular, stand to reap exponential gains.

With traditional world football powerhouses, Brazil, England, the Netherlands and Spain all having booked their flights to South Africa next summer, it is a matter of conjecture that come the end of the 2009-2010 football season, all these teams will be shopping for a suitable locale within the continent to setup camp to fine-tune their preparations for the tournament.

In the past Kenya has been a choice destination as a training base for participants in global sporting events. Ghana’s Blacks Stars have twice in four years set-up base in the country during successive World Cup qualification campaigns. In December 20005, the West African giants pitched tent in Naivasha before spanking South Africa 2-0 in Johannesburg to book a place in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

In June this year, the Michael EssienMichael Essien-led Stars were back again at the flower-growing town in preparation for a crucial encounter with Sudan in the 2010 qualifiers. Again, they triumphed 2-0 in Khartoum with relative ease; a result that they replicated at their Accra backyard, 3 months later to become the first African nation to earn a place in South Africa.

The 16-man Committee will be headed by Permanent Secretary in the Sports Ministry, Mr. James Waweru while the Sports Stadia Management Board CEO Mr. Benjamin Sogomo will be the Secretary. Other notable members include Gordon Olouch (Commissioner of Sports), Karol Yambo (Managing Director-Kenya Tourist Board), Fred Kaigwa (CEO-Kenya Association of Tour Operators), Julius Kipngetich (CEO-Kenya Wildlife Services), Mathew Iteere (Commissioner of Police), Titus Naikuni (CEO- Kenya Airways), Mike Macharia (CEO-Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers), Linus Gitahi (Chair-Media Owners Association), Joshua Chepkwony (Chair-A.D. Group of Companies) and Mary Kimonye (CEO-Brand Kenya)

With the state of decadence that has beset the game in Kenya occasioned by endless administrative wrangles and the near elimination of the Harambee Stars in the 2010 World Cup/Nations Cup running, the initiative to market Kenya through sports tourism will provide some scant relief to the long-suffering followers of the game.

Imperatively, of significance is CECAFA’s confirmation that Kenya had been granted the onus of hosting Africa’s oldest regional tournament after a 17year hiatus. If indeed the country is serious about marketing itself ahead of 2010, then CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup – that will be hosted in Nairobi and Mumias between November 28th and December 13th – will be a good starting point towards this achieving this objective.

On the converse, it still remains to be seen, the degree of involvement the corporate and private sectors will be willing to commit themselves to, bearing in mind the embarrassing expostulation involving the Sports Stadia Management Board (SSMB), the Ministry of Sports and soft drink giant Coca Cola that saw the latter withdraw its 117 million shillings planned sponsorship deal of Nyayo National Stadium over a naming rights fiasco earlier on in the year.