Suffering athletes urged to speak up as GBV forum ends
From left: Doreen Odhiambo CEO Kenya Academy of Sports, Miriam Opondo of Deaf Basketball Federation, Kenya National Sports Council Treasurer Charles Nyaberi, NOC-K President Paul Tergat, CS Sports Amina Mohamed and Kenya National Paralympic Committee President Agnes Oluoch after signing the declaration form for sports organisations during the Agnes Tirop gender-based violence conference at Diani Reef Hotel in Kwale County on January 19, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs Cabinet Secretary Professor Margaret Kobia, who made the closing remarks, said that her ministry will assist in the implementation of the report.
- She said that big gains have been made in the fight against gender-based violence, but a lot more needs to be done.
No other athlete should die the way Agnes Tirop did, and neither should any of them suffer in silence again, this was the rallying call made by Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed at the end of a gender-based violence conference at Diani Reef Hotel in Kwale County Wednesday.
The conference, which brought together athletes, top government functionaries, members of the diplomatic community and other sports stakeholders was held in honour of Tirop, who was found murdered in her home in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County on October 13 last year.
The estranged lover of the 2015 World Cross Country Championships winner, Ibrahim Rotich, is in police custody after denying murder charges.
“I believe the death of Agnes Tirop was not in vain. Let this be the last death of that nature in sports. It was a very difficult moment to lose her in that way; we move forward with a renewed resolve to remain vigilant so that we can correct the ills visited on our athletes,” she said.
“This is a turning point for those of us who believe in equity because sports has the power to drive change, and it begins now.”
CS Amina had in July last year appointed a Ministerial Committee on Gender Welfare and Equity in Sports following a directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta to conduct an audit and examine challenges facing women in sports.
The committee chaired by legendary athlete Catherine Ndereba did the audit and officially handed over a report of the findings to the CS on Monday.
The CS said that within 100 days they will take stock of how far they have gone in implementing the report that is key to reforms in the sports.
“I have no fear of the report not being implemented. After this conference, there will be no break. I am positive because all the stakeholders have taken ownership of the process. I will engage all of them to ensure that we stay on track,” the minister said.
Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs Cabinet Secretary Professor Margaret Kobia, who made the closing remarks, said that her ministry will assist in the implementation of the report.
She said that big gains have been made in the fight against gender-based violence, but a lot more needs to be done.
Representatives of sports organisations across the country agreed to adopt the declarations in the report as a roadmap to guide reforms in sports.
They committed to revising their constitutions to comply with the Sports Act and they agreed to develop an implementation framework for the recommendations adopted in the report.
The organisations will submit to the Registrar of Sports a semi-annual report on implementation of the report and they will explore other avenues of funding, for instance from the corporate world, to take care of athletes’ welfare, among other declarations.
