The Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Sports and the Arts, Ababu Namwamba, was present to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Athletics Kenya and the Housing Finance Group. The Memorandum of Understanding will see the bank support athletes on Housing matters. The President of Athletics Kenya, Jackson Tuwei, accompanied the Cabinet Secretary to the meeting.
According to the Cabinet Secretary, the Government of Kenya is completely supporting the initiative. He added that the said initiative aims to allow our athletes to own decent and dignified habitats.
To this end, CS Namwamba noted that “Decent, dignified shelter is not only a human necessity but is also a constitutional right,” Accordingly, he said, affordable housing is a core priority agenda under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) of the administration led by President William Ruto
Cabinet Secretary Namwamba added that our athletes deserved to enjoy the decency of a home for their contribution to nation-building. Accordingly, he said “As we celebrate 60 years as a nation, we want to see our athletes sit back and take pride in their achievement and enjoy the comfort of a decent and dignified home for themselves.”
He added that his ministry was committed to ending the trend of athletes retiring into abject poverty. He believes that they have spent much of their lives branding Kenya globally. “Our athletes are Kenya’s number one branding assets. They have brought so much joy to the country. We must stop this trend where our athletes suffer alone once they retire from active sports.
The Cabinet Secretary also encouraged Kenyan athletes to take advantage of the program. They added that it offered them a wide range of selections for housing.
Meanwhile, AK President Tuwei said the partnership is an assurance of a secure & peaceful future for all who enlist in the scheme.” Nothing gives humans more peace in their hearts than the knowledge they will always have a roof over their heads for the rest of their lives. This is what this partnership offers to tens of thousands of our athletes, in line with the Government’s plan to ensure every Kenyan has access to affordable and decent housing,” he said,
Ababu Namwamba added that AK was happy to play a part towards actualizing this President’s vision. Housing Finance Group CEO Robert Kibaara added: “As a bank, we are committed to strategic partnerships that enrich lives and strongly believe that through this partnership, we will empower our gallant sportsmen and women to gain access to credit and an opportunity to become homeowners.”
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