Thika youths have been asked to look for meaningful economic activities to earn them a living rather than relying on betting which has dangerously proliferated among many of them.
Speaking in her office, Thika Sub-county Sports Officer Grace Gati noted that many local youths were sinking deeply into betting at the expense of thinking seriously about their futures.
"We are entering to a very dangerous stage of youth unemployment. Youths are falling in the trap of betting companies through heightened media marketing campaigns that betting is good and many have indeed taken the message seriously and now are taking betting as an economic activity," said Gati.
"You will now find many youths in miraa dens sitting idle analysing football seriously aiming to bet and win. This is not what we want our youths to be doing for a living," she added.
Gati encouraged local youths who are talented in various sports to instead embrace the opportunities that the county government has created for them to train and become professionals.
"Our main goal is to build talents who can become professional footballers, hockey players, athletes among other sports professionals who can rely on their careers to earn a living. If our youths could grab the available opportunities we are creating for them to acquire various sporting skills they would find themselves better placed than when betting," Gati said.
She asked youths to bet for fun and not get obsessed by it as there can only be a few winners.