All systems go for gender conference on sports

It is all systems go as stakeholders prepare for The Agnes Tirop Conference in Diani, Kwale County from 17 – 21 January.

Cabinet Secretary for Sports Amina Mohamed gave a short list of summary of gender equity and Gender-based Violence topics that the stakeholders in the sports sector will discuss.

The workshop will bring together Kenyan athletes, federations officials, team managers, coaches, representatives of international sports organisations, top government officials, investigative agencies, the Judiciary, officials from international financial institutions and Non-governmental Organisations.

“The Agnes Tirop Conference is being held in honour of the late World Cross Country Agnes star Tirop, who was brutally murdered in a suspected case of Gender-based Violence at her home in Iten, Nandi County,” said CS Amina.

“The three-day conference will run under the theme: Levelling The Playing Field: Gender Inclusivity In Sports, and will include plenary sessions and panel discussions on key thematic areas such as legal, policy, and institutional framework, women in leadership and sports, mental health, resource mobilisation, among others.

“We shall also have capacity building trainings for athletes and sports officials.”

Amina said her Ministry will begin with the launch of a Report on Gender Equity, drafted by the Committee on Gender Welfare and Equity in Sports that she formed in July 2021, under the direction of President Uhuru Kenyatta, following reported cases of sexual harassment and biased team selection in some of our national teams.

Among the issues to be highlighted in the report are disparities in remuneration between male coaches and female coaches, sportsmen and sportswomen, and male and female referees; gender imbalance in the composition of federations and technical bench of various national teams; and rampant cases of sexual harassment and sexual abuse directed towards sportswomen by sports officials, technical bench, and sportsmen.

Some of the recommendations highlighted include fairness in remuneration for sportspeople, referees, and team officials, regardless of their gender; observing gender balance in the composition of federations; giving opportunity to retired female coaches to mentor and train young female coaches; adequate budgetary support for female athletes; and action against perpetrators of Gender-based Violence.

“This Conference will be policy-driven and solution-oriented, and will grant us an opportunity to develop a universal template that will be used to streamline the sports sector in Kenya and across the world.

“We hope that at the end of the three days, we will have concrete practicable solutions that will bring to an end Gender-based Violence, promote gender equity and inclusivity, and ensure the growth of our sports sector.”