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Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo hosted a breakfast meeting with the Kenya Police Bullets and Police FC at Ole Sereni Hotel on Wednesday, in a spirited effort to boost the performance of local football clubs in the upcoming CECAFA and Confederation Cup.
As the Club's Patron, PS Omollo emphasised the importance of supporting the teams to ensure their success in the regional games.
The meeting was attended by notable figures in the sports sector, including the Cabinet Secretary for Sports Ababu Namwamba, and his Principal Secretary Peter Tum.
PS Omollo expressed gratitude for CS Ababu's support and lauded his impact on the sports sector since taking charge.
He assured that the team is ready to deliver their best performance in the upcoming tournament.
Police FC recently qualified for the CAF qualifiers and Police Bullets qualified for the CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA qualifiers.
The Police Bullets will represent Kenya in the CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA qualifiers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from August 17 to September 1, 2024.
During his speech, CS Ababu noted that the team had been boosted by Talanta Hela pipeline which has fed the women's team with top talents such as the Harambee Junior Starlets captain Elizabeth Ochaka, who recently captained the junior starlets to the first ever FIFA World Cup in Kenya's history.
He assured the teams of the government's full support, commending them for their discipline & success, highlighting the deliberate investment in the sports and the creative economy to turn the talents into key drivers of the economy and to supporting livelihoods.
"President Ruto's government is committed to transforming sports into a whole economy that can create jobs, supports livelihood and contribute to economic development of our nation," he quipped.
Reflecting on the incredible success journey of sport and creative economy revamp in the country, the CS noted that his ministry had continued to deliberately and intentionally to structure ways and support to completely transform these industries.
"We have been deliberate in our investment right from the school ball games where we invested over Sh267 million to support talent identification at the base, to striking a deal with KBC for live broadcasts of football matches, with the ministry supplied Sh240 million. This guarantees each Premier league team a minimum of Sh10 million upon conclusion of the league," he explained.
The CS added that he had instructed the Football Kenya Federation to host a KPL annual gala , where to award clubs and celebrate excellence from the season.
He noted that the support was part of the Talanta Hela initiative geared at growing talents across the sports and creatives ecosystem.
"Talanta Hela is really godsend for us. It has given us a pipeline to identify talents from schools and grow those talents in a very deliberate, intentional and structured style. Your team is full of Talanta Hela products, a clear indication of the success of this program," he remarked.
He encouraged the teams to prepare thoroughly, assuring them of full government backing to compete effectively in the regional games.