Ruiru MP King’ara pushes for return of NGCDF sports fund

Ruiru Member of Parliament Simon King’ara is spearheading a motion to reinstate the sports fund in the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) kitty, a move he believes will revive grassroots sports in Kenya.

Previously, 2.5 percent of NGCDF allocations were dedicated to sports development in every constituency, but this was scrapped and redirected towards the digital economy.

However, King’ara, who is serving his second term, is seeking parliamentary support to restore these funds for sports initiatives at the local level.

The MP highlighted the challenges faced by members of parliament in organizing tournaments within their constituencies due to the lack of dedicated sports funding.

He pointed out that many young and talented individuals from grassroots communities have lost hope in pursuing their sporting talents, as there are limited platforms and financial support to nurture their abilities.

“Since the scrapping of the sports fund, many youths have turned to drugs as there are no tournaments to keep them busy,” King’ara lamented.

Echoing King’ara’s concerns, Samuel Ngugi, the Secretary-General of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Kiambu branch, revealed that many local players have abandoned their sports dreams due to insufficient funding for grassroots initiatives.

He also criticized county governments for failing to effectively support sports, noting that many tournaments they finance fail to progress to their finals.

The two have expressed confidence that sports stakeholders across the country will support the MP’s efforts to reinstate the sports fund within the NGCDF, which could revive youth participation in sports and reduce the growing challenge of drug abuse in communities.