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The government will next month unveil a sports programme that seeks to nurture young talents in order to grow the sector and propel the country into a sporting giant in the region.

Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba announced that the Talanta Hela program is to be launched across 47 counties and aims to promote sports talent, especially among the youth.

Namwamba said the programme will be rolled out as a joint initiative between the national and all the county governments and is expected to take the development of local sports to the next level.

He said the ministry plans to engage the Council of Governors later this month before the rollout commences in February.

Namwamba reaffirmed the government’s commitment to developing sports, noting that the ministry has discovered that the huge potential of the sector’s growth lies at the grassroots.

“In our projection and planning, we are determined that the grassroots is the answer to the revival of Kenyan sports. Therefore a lot of our actions will take place at the grassroots,” he said.

He added: “I have in the past few days been traversing areas here Nyanza and Western and what I have witnessed at the grassroots has reinforced my belief that the grassroots are the solution to sports development in the country.”

Speaking when he opened the ninth edition of Kenya Inter-County Sports and Cultural Association (KICOSCA) games in Kisumu town yesterday, Namwamba said the ministry is keen on tapping on the sports talent among the young people as a way of promoting sports at the grassroots.

“The government has placed a premium on the value of sports in the country and as a ministry, we are keen to work closely with the counties to promote sports to support our youths and the arts at all levels,” the CS said.

At the same time, Namwamba reiterated the government’s plans to eradicate doping in efforts to streamline local athletics.

“We are also in partnership with World Athletics to defeat the scourge of doping and to make sure that Kenya retains our pride of place as a powerhouse in world athletics,” he said. Further, the CS revealed that plans are underway by the government to make a bid for Kenya to host Afcon 2027.

Consequently, he appealed to the devolved units to focus on developing sports infrastructure as the government prepares to make the bid, saying they would want the games hosted in a manner that reflects the face of the country.

 “We are determined to make sure that we return sports to where it belongs and we are determined to make sure that sports is monetized that we earn from playing and developing our talents,” he said.

The annual county games that kicked off in the lakeside county on Monday will run through to Saturday, January 21.

About 8,000 participants from 32 participating counties are taking part in the sports extravaganza.

The host Kisumu county football team kicked off the competition against Nyandarua.

Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyongo said: “ I take this opportunity to welcome everyone to this great county and particularly to the beautiful city of Kisumu.

I hope you will find time, on the sidelines of these games, to enjoy the warmth and the magical scenery of this city.”

The games are being held in 13 venues, including Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Mamboleo, Moi stadium, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Sports centre, the Kisumu National Polytechnic, Kassam Secondary School, Lions High School and Kisumu School.

Other venues are Kisumu Day Secondary school, the Aga Khan Hall, Mama Grace Onyango Social Hall, Rotary training Center, Cosmopolitan Club and the Nyanza Golf Club.

The opening ceremony was graced by host governor Anyang Nyong’o, Paul Otuoma (Busia), Simon Kachapin (West Pokot), Amos Nyaribo (Nyamira), Jeremiah Lomurkai (Turkana) and a host of deputy governors and other leaders.

Kisumu is hosting the sports event after taking it from Embu county which held the eighth edition of the competition.

Last year, governor Nyong’o was handed the games’ Torch and Chain by his Embu counterpart Cecily Mbarire as the new Patron of Kicosca Games for the next year. Kicosca was founded in 2013 at the onset of Devolution, with a primary objective to give an opportunity to employees from the 47 County Governments to exhibit their sporting talents and to interact and learn from each other’s cultural orientations.

The games also enable the staff to benchmark and have a health break to help drive productivity.

Since its inception, Kicosca games have been hosted by  Nairobi, Nakuru, Uashin Gishu, Kiambu, Machakos, Kisii, Kericho and Embu counties.