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All Kenyan national teams now to fly KQ

By DAVID KWALIMWA September 9th, 2017 1 min read

The government has unveiled a cost-saving strategy that allows all sports teams representing the country in international assignments to fly Kenya Airways.

This one year renewable deal, estimated to be worth Sh 4 billion, was unveiled by the Principal Secretary for Sports, Peter Kaberia.

The move is also expected to boost the shrinking financial revenues of the national carrier.

“Sports in Kenya is pride in itself and it will be fulfilling when these athletes alight from a flight branded the ‘Pride of Africa’,” said Kaberia.

THE ARRANGEMENT

Kaberia also urged sports federations and associations to share their respective calendars of events with the ministry well in advance to actualize this arrangement.

This move could also help tame mishaps such as the one in April 2016, when the then Kenya Airways sponsored national sevens rugby team, fresh from winning the IRB Sevens tournament in Malaysia was flown back home by a competitor.

KQ regional general manager Grant Onyango added: “We are prepared to make arrangements in the event a particular team is heading to a destination which we don’t operate in.”

The national hockey and Under 20 football teams are the first beneficiaries of this arrangement.