Kakamega County pledges millions for sports infrastructure
By dennis-lumiti, May 5, 2023
The Kakamega County Government has pledged to pump millions of devolved funds into sports infrastructure in the area from July.
Governor Fernandes Barasa said yesterday that they had resolved to complete the construction and expansion of the Bukhungu Stadium to enable the facility host matches of international standards.
He said they would also build, renovate and expand rugby, volleyball, handball and hockey courts to turn the county into a sporting hub.
“We shall allocate a lot of funds towards the sports infrastructure with the main objective of nurturing the immense sporting talent in our County. You shall witness a lot of activity beginning July,” he said.
The governor cited soccer, rugby, volleyball, hockey and short-distance athletics as some of the sporting activities whose talent was beaming in the county.
He spoke at his boardroom in Kakamega town when he hosted members of the Kabras Sugar RFC who presented him with the trophies they clinched in the 2022/2023 season.
The trophies include the Kenya Cup, Enterprise Cup and the Victoria Rugby 15’s Tej Cup, that made them to be crowned Sports Team of the Year 2022.
Barasa lauded Kabras not just for the conquest, but for the outstanding resilience that they demonstrated throughout the season.
“Their role in training and being the trailblazers for aspiring rugby players cannot go unnoticed,” he added.
The Governor two months ago gave a personal donation of Sh3 million to Kabras Rugby team after they beat KCB to retain the Kenya Cup League title at the Bulls Ring venue in Kakamega.
The county is well known for producing talented sports stars from school levels to the national level and even across the boarders.
Kakamega High School, Musingu, Mukumu are some of the schools that have dominated schools games for more than three decades, reigning supreme in football, volleyball, rugby and hockey.
The County has also produced stars like Africa and Commonwealth 100m champion Vincent Omanyala and several football stars like Allan Wanga, Charles Okwemba, Moses Mudavadi, Bernard Onyango, Nick Yakhama, Bonface Ambani and Jackson Saleh just to mention a few.