Teacher coaching initiative launched to boost sports talent development in Kenya
BERNARD MUNYAO and PURITY MUGO-KNA
The Government is developing sports as a professional career path for young Kenyans after launching a training programme for teachers in Murang’a County.
The initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Sports in partnership with the Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS), seeks to train basic education teachers as coaches in various sporting disciplines so that they can identify, nurture and mentor talented learners from an early age.
The programme was officially launched at Murang’a Teachers Training College where more than 200 teachers drawn from primary, junior and senior schools across the county gathered for the start of the 10-day intensive training.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, the Principal Secretary for Sports, Elijah Mwangi, said the government is committed to transforming sports into a sustainable source of employment and income for young people.
Mwangi noted that Kenya has enormous untapped talent in schools but success can only be achieved when learners are guided by qualified instructors with the right technical skills.
He explained that sporting excellence among the youth depends on equipping trainers and coaches with sufficient knowledge to improve training methods, enhance performance and sharpen talent identification abilities.
“Our young people have immense potential. To unlock that potential, we must invest in the people who train and mentor them. Teachers play a very important role in shaping future champions,” Mwangi said.
He added that the programme is designed to revive the strong sports culture once associated with schools in the region and restore their competitive edge at county and national levels.
According to the PS, schools in Central Kenya once produced some of the country’s finest athletes and teams and that the Government wants to rebuild that legacy through structured training and improved support systems.
He urged the participating teachers to take the training seriously and use the new skills to help learners discover and develop their talents.