SPORTS PEOPLE
We Must Treat Our Sports Heroes Better
By Walter Nyabundi
On Friday June 11th 2021 , former Kibwezi MP Kalembe Ndile was buried at his home in Mbui Nzau , Makueni County . His funeral was attended by the region ’ s leading political figures including former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka , Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua , and Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu , among others . ODM Leader Raila Odinga and a host of other leaders from across the country also attended the ceremony .
I always liked Kalembe Ndile , who proudly referred to himself as “ Mwana wa squatter ”. His folksy direct style was humorous , charming , and endearing . He certainly deserved the send-off he received from the people of Kibwezi and the political class .
Some 500 kilometres away in Siaya County , rugby icon Benjamin Ayimba was also being interred at his ancestral home in Alego Uranga , Siaya County . Benja as he was fondly known , received a fitting valediction from family , friends and members of the rugby fraternity .
In contrast to Kalembe Ndile ’ s funeral however , there were no politicians of note nor government officials at Benja ’ s funeral . For a man who brought so much glory to Kenya through his exploits both as a player and a coach , this was rather disheartening . One would have expected at the very least that there would have been representatives from the County Government of Siaya and the Ministry of Sports in attendance . Alas , it seems the burial of a sporting legend does not rank very highly on the list of priorities of our leaders and bureaucrats .
This regrettable episode however is indicative of the disdainful attitude our country has towards its sporting heroes . Our history is replete with examples of how poorly we treat them both in life and death . The average Kenyan athlete is one injury away from complete disaster .
Most of our sports people have little or no insurance cover at all and often have
Many professional and even semi-professional athletes in other parts of the world live lives that most of our sportspeople can only dream about . They enjoy substantial wages , big endorsement deals , and national publicity . Throughout their careers , they are given the recognition they deserve and in retirement they are well looked after . to pay for their treatment out of pocket . Many of them are not formally employed and end up spending colossal amounts of money on medical procedures , physical therapy and medication .
At the end of their careers , there is always the risk of old injuries becoming aggravated and illnesses developing . Again , after retirement , depending on how they managed their finances during their careers , many do not have a nest egg to fall back on . Even if they do , a substantial amount of their pension is likely to be spent on healthcare .
In the United States , most professional athletes have adequate health insurance and after retirement , most of them have league-sponsored pension plans to look forward to . One day on an active playing roster in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) qualifies a player for full comprehensive medical benefits . An MLB player needs just 43 days of service to qualify for a pension benefit of almost $ 9,000 per year .
MLB players become fully eligible for their pensions after one day of service if they retired after April 1 , 1980 and retired baseball players with over 10 years of service can receive over $ 100,000 annually upon reaching the age of 62 . Unsurprisingly , MLB has the most well-funded pension programme of all professional sports leagues in the United States valued at over $ 2 billion .
The National Basketball Association ( NBA ), has one of the most generous pension plans out of all professional sports in the country . NBA players are eligible for pension after playing at least three seasons in the league . In 2016 , the
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