NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 13 – Lack of proper gender balance in Federations, pay disparity and poor press coverage are some of the issues highlighted in a report forwarded to the Sports Ministry on gender welfare in sports.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina has said that the committee chaired by former Marathon world record holder Catherine Ndereba has highlighted serious issues that need to be addressed very soon.
The report, handed over to the on Thursday, is expected to be launched next week in Diani in a five-day workshop organized by the Ministry to tackle gender issues.
“We want to provide platform where members, sportsmen and women, officials and stakeholders can converge and discuss priority issues of inclusivity, welfare and dignity and especially in sports. The interest and objective we have is to find sustainable solutions,” CS Amina said as she launched the roadmap to the conference on Thursday.
Among the key issues that the Ndereba-led task force unearthed is poor representation of women in Federations as well as sexual exploitation among female athletes.
“It is sad that there is no gender balance in our federations. Some don’t have females completely. That is something that we need to change,” Amina remarked.
The confederence which has been named in honor of slain former World Record Holder Agnes Tirop will be staged in Diani from January 17-20 and is set to include several players in the sports industry and private sector including government, World Bank, Sports Federation officials and the media.
The conference was necessitated by the unfortunate events that led to Tirop’s murder, just a few days after arriving back in the country from a race.
Allegations of a sour union between her and her lover, now behind bars as one of the prime suspects in the murder unearthed underlying issues that female athletes, especially in the athletics rich North Rift area, continue to go through.
“It is unfortunate that the report will be launched after Tirop has paid the ultimate price due to issues affecting the athletes. My ministry and Athletics Kenya (AK) have been on the forefront championing for the athletes welfare,” Amina said.
She has disclosed that the Ministry will invite 100 athletes to the five-day workshop with 50 from each gender as they seek to better the environment under which they compete and are governed.
“The conference will seek to provide a platform where members can converge and discuss issues freely with the aiming of finding sustainable solutions.”
“In July, a female athlete confided in me how they were suffering and as a ministry we formed a task to look into the matter. We were to receive the report last month. From here we hope to have a clear way forward and have a level playing field,” he added.
The CS called on the society to re-examine its moral principles saying the sanctity of life had been taken for granted as exemplified in Tirop’s death.
“We need to start a movement to save children from any form of threat as well as inculcate good morals in them. As parents, our children should be our mirror because we do not want to witness such senseless killings anymore,” she said.