The youth in Mandera County are fast shedding off a negative image by embracing sports and growing their talents.
For decades, youth in the county were associated with militancy. They were an easy target for radical groups that recruited them to terrorist organisations such as the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Some youth wasted away in drug and substance abuse.
As a result, Mandera County was hardly mentioned in relation to sporting activities.
Years back, Al-Shabaab recruiters preyed on youths at playgrounds. However, the narrative has changed. Young people are now flourishing in sports despite the limited facilities available.
Mandera branch Football Kenya Federation (FKF) chairman Abdisalan Ahmed Lakicha said that the youth are taking sports seriously.
“We have rules which must be followed strictly. Football teams must account for each of their players. Team managers are required to report about any missing players so that appropriate action is taken,” Lakicha said.
He said that the youth engage in sports to avoid boredom and also to guard against enrolment to terror cells.
“We have tournaments running throughout the year, but the main challenge remains the poor state of our playgrounds,” Lakicha said.
Mandera County has 109 registered men’s football clubs scattered across all six sub-counties, according to the FKF branch.
Due to cultural and religious beliefs, there are no female football teams in Mandera. However, there are six registered women’s volleyball teams.
Mandera East has the highest number of football teams at 44, followed by Mandera North with 18, Mandera South has 17, Mandera West 16 same as Lafey while Banisa has 14.
There are two professional players from Mandera plying their trade in Ethiopia and Spain. Abdifatah Mohamed plays in Spain and Feisal Mohamed is in Ethiopia.
The Mandera County Government approved a Sh105 million budget for the upgrading of Moi Stadium to international standards. Construction work began in 2015 and is nearly complete. Local residents are excited as the first ever stadium in the county takes shape in the outskirts of Mandera town.
Two other stadiums Takaba and Elwak were also earmarked for renovation at a cost of Sh92 million each.
At Moi Stadium, both the VIP dias and spectators’ seating areas are complete.
“Once work on Moi Stadium is finalised, the facility will have a football pitch, an athletics track, a volleyball court and a basketball court,” Mandera County Executive Committee member for Education, Sports, Culture and Tourism Izzudin Abdullahi said.
When President Uhuru Kenyatta visited Moi Stadium prior to the 2017 elections, he was impressed with the progress and pledged to inject money into the project.