Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts Dr Hassan Wario speaking at a previous event. He said the Kenya Anti-doping Agency (ADAK) was set to flush-out doping in the sports sector. [Photo|Courtesy]
The Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts Dr Hassan Wario has observed that sporting has become a strategic driving factor in Kenya’s socio-economic development and national cohesion.
The CS made the observation while closing the 38th Edition of Kenya Communication Sports Organisation (KECOSO) games on Sunday in Kisumu.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Ministry’s Secretary for Administration, Naphtally Mung’athia, Wario said the exercise was spot on adding that Kenyan athletes remain a powerhouse on the global scale for which all citizens were proud to be associated with.
This, he said, was owed to their steady success especially in long-distance races where the runners ended up picking medals.
Important to note, he said that in the last two years, Kenyan athletes aced over 90 per cent of all major city marathons.
Albeit their winning, Wario regretted the great focus of World Anti-Doping Agency that almost tainted the sector's image disclosing that Kenyan Sportsmen are the most screened globally.
He nonetheless lauded the establishment of the Kenya Anti-doping Agency (ADAK) expressing optimism that it will help curb the doping menace and also redeem the nation’s image in the international sporting frontier.
The CS said the Sports policy advocates for cooperation between his Ministry and that of Education as the major stakeholders extolling the Governors who have already come on board in support of the agenda.
He called on those charged with the responsibility of handling the sporting sector to whole-heartedly take up their duties with great seriousness and set aside any personal interests which may interfere with the smooth delivery of services to the citizenry.