Power of sports can grow the economy - Nzai

Presidential political advisor Karisa Nzai at Bangladesh slums in Jomvu, Mombasa on Saturday / BRIAN OTIENO

Presidential political advisor Karisa Nzai at Bangladesh slums in Jomvu, Mombasa on Saturday / BRIAN OTIENO

Power of sports can grow the economy - Nzai

BY BRIAN OTIENO @Yobramos4                                Sunday, April 26, 2026

Lack of sufficient facilities is to blame for lost talent at the grassroots, which leads to frustrations that eventually push youth into crime and other vices like drug abuse.

Presidential advisor Karisa Nzai on Sunday said talent, if nurtured, can lift a generation out of poverty. 

“This is my plea to the government through the Sports CS Salim Mvurya and Youth Affairs PS Jacobs Fikirini. Please, do not let these hidden talents go to waste because of lack of infrastructures,” Nzai said.

He spoke at Bangladesh ground on Saturday during the culmination of the Sh1.6 million football tournament that concluded at the weekend with Green Bombers beating Golden Boys 1-0 to clinch the title.

“As a government, please, do not allow Jomvu to remain behind. We do not have a single modern football ground in Jomvu,” Nzai said.

He said political differences and competition should not interfere with development.

“We are now in broad-based. We should be working together with all people to ensure the common good is achieved because at the end of the day, we are serving the same people,” Nzai, who eying the Jomvu MP seat occupied by Badi Twalib, said.

He said sports is one of the potential economic hubs that can catapult the country’s economy if only the talents are nurtured.

And to nurture talent, he said, there is need for proper facilities.

“We have raw talents in Jomvu. We have raw talents in Mombasa. These talents need just to be identified and nurtured for us to have world beaters in the future,” Nzai said.

He called on CS Mvurya to send his officers to identify grounds that can be upgraded so as to have many sports disciplines represented even at the grassroots level.

He said sports is not only about football but many other disciplines too where talents exist in their raw form, only that football is the most popular sport in the ghettos.

Sports, he also noted, brings people together and has been used to unite warring communities in some parts of the world.

“Sports is a powerful thing. We have had civil wars stopped because one sports star spoke candidly to the warring groups at a time when the superstar was representing the country at a world cup,” Nzai said, not the power that sports can have.

He said there is need for youth to come together to foster unity.

Nzai brought football scouts from the London, England to try and identify grassroots talents that can be nurtured into football greats in the future.

He intends to have a select team from Jomvu that can be formed to go and play friendly matches in the UK.

Ends...

Instant Analysis:

Kenya is actively nurturing sports talent through nationwide, government-led programs focusing on grassroots development, holiday camps, and improved infrastructure. The Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS) identifies young talent aged between 12-19 through schools, aiming for 5,000 students in camps to train in football, athletics, and other sports.

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Presidential political advisor Karisa Nzai at Bangladesh slums in Jomvu, Mombasa on Saturday / BRIAN OTIENO