The sporting case for Dual citizenship

Kenya is one of the few countries that does not allow its citizens to hold dual citizenship. There are several reasons , mainly economical, that make dual citizenship an excellent idea. But in addition to this, one can make a sporting case for dual citizenship. Allowing Kenyans who have moved to other countries and taken up citizenship of their new countries to keep their Kenyan citizenship will allow these Kenyans to represent Kenya and thus strengthen Kenyan sports teams.

There are several examples of countries that have benefited tremendously. In fact  FIFA changed their rules to allow players who have represented one country at junior level to play for their countries of ancestry at senior level. Nigeria, The Ivory Coast, Senegal, Cameroun etc have all benefited from having players like Didier Drogba, Osaze Odemwingie, Mustapha Hadji and Lauren Etame, all of whom are citizens of EU countries.

Nigeria which was never a basketball power in the 90s has now risen to the top echelons of African basketball and indeed world basketball for both men and women. They did this by drawing mainly on second generation Americans of Nigerian descent. Players like Mfon Udoka who plays in the WNBA have helped raise Nigeria's basketball fortunes, not just by playing, but also by imparting their knowledge and experience to local players and officials. In fact back in the early nineties, Kenya was streets ahead of Nigeria in basketball. People quickly forget that Kenya qualified for the womens basketball world cup in 1994 and finished 4th in the Africa cup in 1992. But the powers that be sat back, did nothing and let theat momentum dissipate. the game in Kenya has since died a slow death. Nigerians have been emigrating in large numbers since the 1960s thus there are numerous second generation Nigerians in the west

Kenyans started to emigrate to Western countries in large numbers during the mid 1990s. Yet there are already several Kenyan migrants who have made their mark in overseas leagues. And given the sheer number of Kenyans who now live overseas, it is inevitable that there will be plenty more in the future.

Here is a a run down of some  talented Kenyans who have made their mark in other countries yet are ineligible to represent Kenya due the lack of dual citizenship.

Omondi Amoke is a 6-6, 205-pound wing with . Amoke has already impressed everyone who has seen him play. That includes a couple of Pac-10 coaches from elite-level programs, too. Amoke is a class of 2007 prospect who some believe ranks among the top five players on the West Coast. Next season he will likely be playing top level college basketball. Among the schools seeking hios services are perennial powers like Arizona and Cal. He could very well become the first Kenyan to make it into the NBA. Unfortunately our basketball federation is highly disorganized and seems incapable of coming up with ideas that will enable the team to raise money to participate in continental tournaments. Adding Amoke to a well organized Kenyan team would make Kenya immediate contenders. At the very least they could use him for youth tournaments.

 

Gerald Arasa: The speedy utility back became the first Kenyan to play in the English Premier league when he played for the Saracens of London in 2002. Arasa was so impressive that he was almost called up to the England national team. As of 2006, he played for Gwent Dragons in the Celtic league. Arasa would be an excellent addition to Kenya's crowd pleasing, globe trotting sevens team.

 

Mathayo Huma was born in Kenya in 1988. In 2006 he had succesful trials with Chivas USA of major league soccer and was selected to its youth team. Huma has sent e-mails to this website seeking an opportunity to play for Kenya. He is quite a patriot of whom this website is proud. He is one to watch out for in the future.

 

Curtis Osano is a Young defender who can play at full-back or centre-half. He is the first Kenyan to feature for a team in the English premier league. As of October 2006 he was contracted to Reading, whom he joined as a trainee in the summer of 2005 and made his first-team debut with an impressive display in the FA Cup win over West Bromwich Albion in January 2006.

 There are several established Kenyan athletes who after taking up residency in other countries, took up citizenship in those countries and represented them. It is likely that given the opportunity for dual citizenship, they would have continued to represent Kenya. Wilson Kipketer is an excellent example. He is the greatest 800m runner ever but did not represent Kenya at senior level, having taken up citizenship.

Finally, it is incumbent upon those running Kenyan sports federations to try and get their act together in order to allow the country to take advantage of the talent that is now available. It will be a crying shame if Kenya misses out on an opportiunity to use this talent to raise the sporting profile of the country.

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