ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo has set pace for our former internationals to be assisted starting with Gor Mahia legends at the weekend where he donated Sh1million towards their Welfare Sustainability Fund and another Sh500,000 as a token of appreciation.
As we urge other leaders to follow suit and assist the ex-internationals, the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Digital Economy (ITC) must be appreciated for this initiative to help our heroes, some of who are languishing in abject and torrid poverty.
The Gor Mahia Legends fund will enable the retired generals get involved in the running of football and assist in reviving lost glory.
Indeed, they deserve prosperity as payback for many moments of joy they brought to the club during their playing days.
Owalo, who promised to help them come up with a website for planning communication consistently, supported Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards players during the coronavirus pandemic which halted sports activities between 2020 and 2022.
After he was appointed to the Cabinet by President William Ruto, Owalo met Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards’ former players in a bid to address the challenges affecting them.
In one of his meetings with the current Gor Mahia players, Owalo paid match pending match-winning allowances and promised to mobilize for resources to purchase a bus.
In May, Owalo met Gor Mahia and and AFC Leopards players ahead of the Mashemeji derby and gave them money, something that earned him respect from the two club’s fraternity right from the community level.
Apart from tracksuits, he donated Sh500,000 to Gor Mahia players and the legends, while Leopards received Sh300,000.
On Saturday while meeting Gor Mahia legends led by Austin Oduor for a luncheon at Ole Sereni in Nairobi, Owalo said the plight of former footballers should not be ignored because they laid a firm foundation for the current generation.