Kwale: The Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Salim Mvurya, has highlighted the critical importance of nurturing grassroots football in the country. Plans are underway to roll out the inaugural Mashinani National Football Cup, a nationwide league scheduled to commence next month and culminate in the finals in December 2025.
According to Kenya News Agency, Mvurya, who was accompanied by Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi, spoke in Kwale County after meeting the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture. The Mashinani league aims to support, promote, and strengthen grassroots football within and beyond the country. Mvurya emphasized that the new initiative is an important step in the development of grassroots sports and aims to promote sporting excellence among the citizenry.
The Cabinet Secretary met with the parliamentary committee led by Chairman Dan Wanyama to update them on the progress and procedures regarding the securitization of the Sports, Arts, and Social Development Fund (SASDF), as well as strategies to enhance resource mobilization for the fund. He proposed a review of the Sports Act, 2018, to strengthen legal frameworks around the SASDF, ensuring clarity and specificity in funding priorities. This move is intended to alleviate the growing pressure on the fund and enhance its sustainability.
Mvurya underscored that grassroots football is essential for uniting the youth from various backgrounds, fostering camaraderie and mutual respect through sportsmanship. The Mashinani initiative is designed to promote grassroots participation, providing a structured platform for talented players to showcase their skills, from the ward level through the counties, and ultimately on the national stage. This aligns with President William Ruto’s vision of cultivating untapped talent from the grassroots level to national and international scenes.
The Sports CS reiterated the ministry’s commitment to supporting grassroots football development and empowering young people through sports. He stated that grassroots football serves as a ‘talent pool’ and plays a pivotal role in youth and community engagement. The ministry is closely collaborating with the Ministry of Education to roll out the Mashinani soccer tournament in June 2025. Already, 150 teachers have been trained in both Kwale and Nyeri counties to ensure the success of the grassroots tournament.
Mvurya expressed a desire for Kenyans to see sports such as football and athletics as economic ventures rather than just leisure activities. He highlighted that the Mashinani tournament would ensure systems for scouting raw talent, coaching, and player progression are operational and aligned with national sporting policy. The development aims to boost grassroots football by ensuring players across the country have access to quality playing fields. Modern football academies in the counties are expected to bridge the gap between local and professional-level football pitches.
Principal Secretary Mwangi mentioned that they engaged the Parliamentary Committee on Sports and Culture to appraise its members on the status of all keystone programs and legacy projects being undertaken by the Ministry through the State Department for Sports. These transformative projects aim to redefine the entire sports architecture in Kenya through strategic investments in infrastructure, preparing the country to host two major continental football tournaments: CHAN in August 2025 and AFCON in 2027.