Power outages putting out the lights on Kenya’s sports tourism ambitions

We live in interesting times!

Times when power outages at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) are more likely to occur than having stable internet at the arrivals. Times when the whole country can experience blackout for hours and life continues as usual. Never mind, we just celebrated our 60th birthday on Tuesday. Heck! Six decades after independence, we are still grappling with power issues!

Times when revenue collection (read taxes) is bordering on unfathomable ruthlessness on the taxpayers yet service delivery by the government is at an all-time low.

Dear Kenyans, please allow me to rant in this week’s column.

I was incensed by the latest power blackout last Sunday, which left travelers stranded at JKIA for hours and left Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) with an egg on its face.

At a time when the Kenya Kwanza government is talking about making Kenya a prime tourist destination, it needs to fix the basics first before even declaring Kenya a visa-free country.

President William Ruto’s declaration on Jamhuri Day that Kenya will open its borders to all visitors from January bodes well for the sports industry, especially in regard to our chances of hosting international sports competitions in future.

If we set up quality sports infrastructure, we stand a good chance of attracting many African competitions to Kenya.

Sports tourism is an area Kenya has rich potential in but is yet to pursue to the fullest, but the recent blackouts do not inspire confidence. If we can’t get basics like constant power supply right, then we should forfeit any hope of Kenya emerging as a host of major sporting destinations at this point. Idle musings, that is what it is.

Next year, we have the Magical Kenya Open Golf Championship, the Nairobi leg of the World Athletics Continental Tour (Kip Keino Classic), and the World Rally Championship Safari Rally.

These three international competitions attract some of the best athletes, rally drivers and golfers to Nairobi, injecting billions of shillings into the economy.

Can you imagine the embarrassment that would greet Toyota’s world champion Kalle Rovanpera and his entourage next year upon arrival for the Safari and boom! Blackout at JKIA!

Bloggers would have a field day tearing apart our country online, and even our dreaded army KOT (Kenyans on Twitter) would struggle to find a comeback.

Picture this: world 100m champions Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles arrive at JKIA in the evening for the Kip Keino Classic next year, with everything looking good. Then they request for a light session at the Kasarani track to shake off the jet lag, and boom, the floodlights go off.

What a shame to the country that produces world beaters on the track and the roads year in, year out!

Wait a minute…is this the same country that wants to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations? Some matches will definitely have to be scheduled at night, especially those that fall on week days, to allow a sizeable number of fans to attend. Imagine a do-or-die group stage match featuring Harambee Stars on a Friday night cut short by a power outage. Pause and think about how major a security threat that would be. Or worse still, the harrowing experience it would be if hooligans and pickpockets capitalise on the darkness to unleash their wrath on innocent fans who have dragged their families to the stadium for a night out.

My good friend Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba, you should be the most worried about the recent power outages, especially with your heightened efforts to bring major sporting events to Kenya.

It’s important that you urgently have a sit down with your Energy and Petroleum counterpart, Davis Chirchir, as well as Roads and Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen to sort out these issues or else I foresee a disaster if the recent power outages occur when Kenya is hosting an international event.

Bwana CS, so dire is the situation that one of my friends from Egypt, who, upon reading about the power outage, recently asked me if they should carry torches in their hand luggage as they prepare to come to Mombasa for the CAVB Zone V Beach Volleyball Road to Paris Olympic qualifiers set for December 19 to 24.

Of course he asked jokingly, but I assured him that the situation is under control. But apart from the usual PR, is it really being looked at seriously?

Someone has to step up at Kenya Power and Lie-ghting Company (KPLC) or at least be held accountable for the never-ending false promises that the situation will improve.

High level sports events and sports tourism can’t thrive in darkness!

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