Sports CS Salim Mvurya outlined proposed welfare and mental health support for athletes and creatives during a Senate appearance in Kilifi. (Photo: standardmedia.co.ke)
Sports CS Salim Mvurya told senators that proposed support includes mental health services for creatives and welfare programmes for retired athletes.
The government is developing welfare and mental health interventions for Kenyan athletes and creatives facing unstable incomes, career uncertainty and public pressure, Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya has said.
Appearing before the Senate Plenary in Kilifi, Mvurya outlined plans ranging from support for retired athletes to expanded helplines for creatives. According to The Standard, he said the measures are intended to address both financial hardship and the psychological pressures associated with careers in sport and the creative industries.
Athletes must contend with injuries, demanding competition schedules and relatively short careers, he noted, while creatives face repeated rejection, online harassment and pressure to maintain their relevance.
Athlete database and retirement support
Responding to Senator Hamida Kibwana, Mvurya said his ministry is building a national database of Kenyan athletes who have earned medals at regional, continental and international events.
The database is intended to strengthen records of sporting achievements, support talent tracking and guide policy decisions and recognition. Sports federations and other stakeholders are working with the ministry on collecting and verifying the information.
Mvurya said consultations are also underway on broader welfare programmes for retired athletes. The proposed support would cover financial assistance, healthcare, housing and social protection.
He cited employment opportunities, career-transition support, goodwill ambassador positions, official appointments and institutional placements among existing interventions. These involve collaboration with sports federations, Athletics Kenya, Football Kenya Federation, county governments and athletes’ welfare organisations.
The CS also highlighted revised government rewards for medals won at global competitions. Gold medallists receive Sh3 million, silver medallists Sh2 million and bronze medallists Sh1 million. He said allowances for athletes and officials travelling abroad had also been increased.
Mental health pressures in the creative sector
Kilifi Senator (Rtd.) Justice Stewart Madzayo sought details on government action to address suicide, depression and other mental health challenges among young creatives.
Mvurya said financial insecurity, intense social media attention, cyberbullying and reduced privacy can place significant strain on people working in the sector. Combined with rejection and competition for opportunities, those pressures can contribute to anxiety, depression, stress and substance abuse, he said.
However, he acknowledged a gap in the available data: Kenya does not have a disaggregated national registry recording suicide cases or specific mental health conditions by profession or sector.
He cited national figures of approximately 400 to 500 reported suicide deaths each year across the population, while noting that occupational details are not routinely captured. Those figures therefore do not establish the number of cases involving creatives.
Mvurya said work is underway towards a unified National Suicide Registry under the Ministry of Health. Other initiatives being advanced include an Inter-Agency Data Framework, a Creative Sector Wellness Policy, wider helpline access and peer-support mechanisms.
The proposed approach combines measures to reduce economic risks with psychosocial assistance for creatives experiencing mental health difficulties, financial distress or addiction.
Recognition and youth empowerment
On preserving Kenya’s sporting legacy, Mvurya pointed to the Kenya Heroes Act, 2014. The law established the National Heroes Council, which identifies, vets and recommends people, including sports personalities, for recognition as national heroes and heroines.
Nyandarua Senator John Methu also raised the broader question of youth empowerment. In response, Mvurya cited the Constitution, the Kenya National Youth Development Policy 2019, Vision 2030, the Fourth Medium Term Plan and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda as guiding frameworks.
He also listed the Youth Enterprise Development Fund framework, the National Youth Council Act, the East Africa Youth Policy and the African Youth Charter among the instruments supporting youth programmes.
