Athletics Kenya and the Ministry of Sports are looking into a pension plan that will set up Kenyan athletes for their retirement.

The Cabinet Secretary for Sports Ababu Namwamba reiterated that professional athletes have the potential to earn vast sums of money during their careers.

However, this wealth is often short-lived, with the average professional sports career lasting just a few years.

“The sad reality is that the shelf life of an athlete is very short. It doesn’t matter whether you run, Football or rugby, your shelf life is very limited.

“And that is the reality in this business of sports; enjoy it as it lasts, beat the world for Kenya and for yourself. Bring all the glory but do not forget there is tomorrow,” Ababu said.

Ababu was presiding over a ceremony between Athletics Kenya (AK) and Housing Finance Company (HFC) Group when they signed a partnership that will see athletes save money so as to eventually own houses in line with the government’s affordable housing scheme.

The memorandum of understanding for that project was signed by AK president Jack Tuwei and HFC Group chief executive officer Robert Kibaara in Nairobi yesterday.

“Nothing gives humans more peace in their hearts than the knowledge that they will always have a roof over their heads for the rest of their lives.

And having a roof through our experience is not a simple thing. You can start building a house today and it takes you 20 years to finish and in those 20 years you have a family to take care of,” Tuwei said.

By Fred Odanga.