Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba is once again under scrutiny from Members of Parliament.
The National Assembly Committee on Sports and Culture on Tuesday critiqued the Talanta Hela program introduced by Namwamba to nurture the talents of Kenyan artists, creatives and sportsmen to ensure they realise their potential.
Committee members led by Chairperson Daniel Wanyama, the MP for Webuye West, took turns in questioning the program, stating that the initiative lacks a proper framework to enable it achieve its intended purpose.
The legislators also expressed their concerns over the lack of policies supporting the rollout of the program.
The MPs put Sports Principal Secretary Peter Tum on the spot, pressing him to justify how the ministry plans to ensure that the plan is successful.
Additionally, they expressed doubts about the program’s long-term viability in the absence of a legally recognized framework.
“There is a need for a legislative framework and policies to be enacted that will give the program a clear functionality,” nominated MP Jackson Kosgei posed during the proceedings.
Responding to the questions, the Principal Secretary emphasised that the ministry is working to develop the relevant policies and fill the gaps in the operational framework.
“There are loopholes in our operational framework when implementing the programs. That is why we as a Ministry are keen to start having the conversation with this Committee of Parliament to come up with frameworks that will see this program benefit our Youth,” the PS stated.
To support the programme rollout, the government initially announced that it plans to launch an app to help ease access to services.
However, in the past few weeks, the program has been the subject of scrutiny with lawmakers questioning whether the app was operation
The program which was launched in June has been the subject of controversy after the government revoked the appointment of Talanta Hela committee members over irregular hiring.
Among the members whose appointment was rescinded include; Azziad Nasenya (influencer & media personality), Carol Radull (sports journalist), and Daniel ‘Churchill’ Ndambuki (veteran comedian, media personality & entrepreneur).