President Ruto reveals plans for Under-19 Bottom-Up tournament

President William Ruto has announced his administration will launch a nationwide Bottom-up Under-19 football tournament.

Speaking during his Jamhuri Day address to the country, Ruto said that the Under-19 tournament will start at ward level in all 47 counties as part of Kenya Kwanza administration's Football Vision 2030.

The Bottom-Up tournament is part of a wider plan by government to qualify the national men's football team, Harambee Stars, for the 2030 World Cup and host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside other East African countries.

“As part of this plan, I have accepted to champion a grassroots football development program that will see the national government work with county governments to invest heavily in youth football,” said President Ruto in his speech during the Jamhuri Day Celebrations at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.

“Arrangements are at an advanced stage to launch a Bottom-up football tournament to be contested by under-19 teams from all 47 Counties. We will work with our governors for each County to build a team right from the ward level.

“This is the first step in our Football Vision 2030 where we target to see Harambee Stars play at the 2030 World Cup and Kenya host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Together, let us build Kenyan football Bottom-up, from the grassroots of our villages to the grand stage of the World Cup.”

Harambee Stars have never qualified for the Fifa World Cup and their last appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations was in 2019 in Cairo, Egypt.

Last Tuesday, the Cabinet which was chaired by President Ruto approved the proposal to have Kenya host the 2027 Afcon alongside other EAC nations.

Apart from being a stepping stone towards Harambee Stars' target of qualifying for the 2030 World Cup, the Cabinet noted that the joint bid to host Afcon will go a long way in promoting regional integration.

Kenya was awarded, and later on stripped of the hosting rights for the 1996 Afcon and 2018 African Nation Championship. President Ruto said it is because his administration recognises sports and the arts as a “mega industry” that it moved with speed to tackle doping menace in the country and restore normalcy in Kenya’s football.

Last month, Fifa lifted its suspension on Kenya after Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba reinstated into office the disbanded Football Kenya Federation National Executive Council and the Secretariat. The suspension was imposed on February 24.

Regarding doping, the government said it will allocate Sh600 million annually to the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) for the next five years to fight the menace. Kenya narrowly escaped suspension by the World Athletics owing to the vice. 

President Ruto said his administration will also seek to rebuild and monetise the country's sports and creative industry through the Talanta Hela Plan.

The key mandate of the platform which is yet to be launched will be to identify, develop, and monetise the talent of artistes from various sectors.