By Tajeu Shadrack Nkapapa
The Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen met with Mary Moraa and Timothy Cheruiyot, world-beating athletics champions. He said that Kenyan athletes are global ambassadors of excellence.
“Sportsmen and sportswomen are our best ambassadors, and we can’t thank them enough,” CS Murkomen said in an X post.
“Pleased to have met with two of our world-beating athletic stars who paid me a courtesy call this evening: 800m running sensation Mary Moraa and 1500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot.”
Among various accolades, Mary Moraa secured a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and earned a Diamond Trophy in Brussels, whereas Timothy Cheruiyot has achieved the distinction of being a five-time Diamond League champion.
The CS sports Hon. Murkomen congratulated them on the spectacular season they have had this year and wished Mary Moraa good luck in her upcoming Athlos Track Meet in New York, where the fastest women on the track will compete.
On the other hand, the government is intensifying efforts to empower the country’s youth through a series of transformative programs under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
According to the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, the government has come up with initiatives that will help equip young people for opportunities.
“Among the flagship programs is the National Youth Opportunities towards Advancement (NYOTA), which seeks to equip thousands of young Kenyans with hands-on experience, mentorship, and job opportunities, directly addressing the growing challenge of youth unemployment,” the Ministry of Youth Affairs said on an X post.
Additionally, the WHOZNEXT talent search initiative is set to unearth and nurture young talents in all 47 counties, to position them at the centre of Kenya’s economic transformation.
In addition to NYOTA and WHOZNEXT, the government is making investments in sports and the creative economy to nurture talent and generate new economic opportunities for young people.
These initiatives are being implemented as the government intensifies its efforts to address youth-related challenges, such as unemployment and skills deficiencies.