Chemoge high altitude training centre to be upgraded to national status
By Peter Ochieng
Chemoge High Altitude Training Centre in Mt Elgon, Bungoma county is set to be equipped and upgraded to a National training centre.
This, is according to Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Sports Ababu Namwamba.
Speaking at Banantega in Mt Elgon during the national tree planting and growing exercise, the CS said the facility is not only strategic, but has the capacity to meet training needs of local, national and international athletes.
"We are going to equip this facility and give it a complete face lift. Its one of a kind in the country," said Namwamba.
He pledged to ensure the completion of sports facilities across the country, in order to ease congestion and pressure at the facilities in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet county and other regions.
"The projects earmarked for completion include the high altitude training centre for athletes in Chemoge. This will serve our sports men and women. It will ease congestion, ignite the local economy and brew investment opportunities."
The training camp is a state of the art facility with a gym, hostels, cafeteria, VIP rooms, and guiding and counseling rooms among other installations.
The centre is among projects initiated between 2013 and 2017 during governor Ken Lusaka's first tenure, but was allegedly abandoned by his successor and predecessor, Wycliffe Wangamati.
Meanwhile, governor Lusaka wants communities leaving near forests to be given express authority to access them, for effective tree growing ventures.
Lusaka said if given authority, the communities will farm in the forests while growing trees, providing the much needed protection.
"Let us come up with laws that encourage locals to farm and grow trees in forests. We have to encourage continuous growing of trees," he said.
He urged leaders and ordinary Kenyans to join hands in the tree growing course, towards reaching the 15 billion tree milestone in the next 10 years.
Over 10,000 tree seedlings were planted today in Mt Elgon forest.
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