NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 29 – Politicians across the country need to work closely with the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) to nurture and develop sports talent in their spheres of influence.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei said politicians have an obligation to provide platforms for their young constituents to showcase their potential and improve their livelihoods.
“I continue to appeal to those who would want to support to come forward. These (sports development) are community issues and as a leader, I am just taking the lead. We need to have as many partners across the country…if there is a leader in Mombasa who wants to work with KVF, the federation is ready,” Cherargei said.
The senator is the patron for the annual Heroes Volleyball Tournament, which is set for December 10-11 at the Koitalel Samoei University in Nandi County.
The second edition of the event will feature over 100 teams drawn from the national league, community clubs as well as primary and secondary schools.
Cherargei expressed optimism that the two-day competition will be a route to success for many of the promising players who will be strutting their stuff.
“I expect to see you all there…we will have a lot of mursik (fermented milk) and have harvested maize so that you can cook ugali. We will be having a lot of scouts led by the national team coach (Paul Bitok) as well as Keroche Industries who are reportedly looking to establish their own volleyball team,” he said.
Speaking at the same time, KVF second deputy president David Kilundo said he is excited by the upcoming tournament, noting that the federation is committed to growing the sport across Kenya as much as possible.
“As a federation, we want to ensure that volleyball is spread countrywide as much as possible. We have a duty to give the youth as much opportunities to grow their talent. It is noteworthy that among the teams playing, our own Cheptil Boys and Kwathanze will be representing the country at the African school games in Morocco next year,” Kilundo said.
This year’s competition will be preceded by the first leg of the men’s volleyball league on Friday – December 9 – at the same venue.
Apart from the battle on the field, the federation will undertake a training clinic for referees to improve the standard of officiating in the country.
“We want to ensure that the standard of the game improves across the country and that it is run by professionals who know how to do the right thing,” Kilundo said.