Ambassador Outa on reason Egypt beats Kenya in sporting infrastructure development
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 06.05.25. | 19:05
The former Kisumu Senator revealed that an exchange program, aimed at boosting sporting infrastructure in Kenya, was on the pipeline
The Kenyan Ambassador to Egypt Frederick Otieno Outa, has singled out deliberate private sector investment as one of the major game changers in the development of sporting infrastructure in Cairo.
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A look into Egypt's sporting facilities shows that the country has invested heavily on modernising their infrastructure and spreading it across the country to the extent of hosting major international tournaments and championships on a regular basis.
This sharply contrasts what sportsmen have to put up with in Kenya, although it is fair to note that the country is making significant steps in facelifting the existing facilities and constructing new ones.
Key among the facilities the government is putting up is the Talanta Sports City for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals, to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Outa attributed Egypt's attractive sporting infrastructure to the financial investment the private entities have accorded the sector, which contributes to the growth of economy through sports tourism.
The former Kisumu Senator challenged the Kenyan sporting fraternity to cut its over-reliance on government funding, and instead tap finances from corporates.
"We are picking a lot of lessons from Egypt as far as the development of sports is concerned. When someone is ahead of you, you learn the best practices from them. The over-dependence on government cripples the development of sports in Kenya.
If you look at the history of Sports, here in Egypt when they used to heavily rely on government, it was not doing very well. When they changed their methodology, making sure that sports is not taken as a government initiative, but as a private sector entity, then things improved. It also attracts the best and qualified professionals. That's why I think we need to change our approach," he said.
Further the former Nyando Constituency Member of Parliament revealed that an exchange program, aimed at boosting sporting infrastructure in Kenya, was on the pipeline.
The program will see Kenyan representatives tap lessons and expertise from Egypt as part of the longstanding relationship between the two countries.
"We want to bring leadership from different sporting spheres for a program exchange so that they learn the best practices and take home," he added.
