Sports PS Tum: 30 sports academies to be built this financial year
The Principal Secretary State Department for Sports, Peter Tum, appears before the National Assembly Committee on Sports, Culture and Tourism at the Bunge Towers in Nairobi on September 5, 2024.
What you need to know:
- The PS had in April promised the committee that the construction of sports academies would start before June.
- Three academies will be constructed in Busia County.
- The academies will be located at St. Gabriel Asiriam Primary School in Teso South, Lunyofu Sports Grounds in Budalangi and Siera Girls High School in Nambale Constituency.
Sports Principal Secretary (PS) Peter Tum Thursday made an assurance that the government's plan to construct sports academies in each of the 290 constituencies in the country was on course.
Tum told the National Assembly Committee on Sports, Culture and Tourism, that 30 constituency sports academies will be constructed in the 2024/25 financial year.
The PS had on Thursday last week come under fire from the Dan Wanyama-led committee after he failed to honour summons to explain the delay in start of the construction of the academies and completion of construction of stadiums among other issues.
The committee had threatened to fine him Sh500,000 if he missed another summon.
The project, expected to harness Kenya’s abundant sporting talent, is being undertaken by the Ministry of Sports through the Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS).
The money for the project will be drawn from the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund.
The construction of the 30 sports academies are expected to cost Sh1.5 billion. Tum said Sh500 million had already been set aside for the initial construction work.
The Sports PS explained that each sports academy will cost no more than Sh50 million.
“I want to assure this committee that we are not managing anyone,” said Tum, when put to task by the MPs to explain the delay in the start of the construction of the sports academies.
The PS had in April promised the committee that the construction of sports academies would start before June.
Three academies will be constructed in Busia County.
The academies will be located at St. Gabriel Asiriam Primary School in Teso South, Lunyofu Sports Grounds in Budalangi and Siera Girls High School in Nambale Constituency.
