The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), through its Tunahusika Corporate Social Investment (CSI) programme, actively contributes to Kenya’s socio-economic development by allocating 2% of its annual profits to community initiatives. KPA addresses critical challenges in education, sports, health, and environment, ensuring port operations are sustainable and benefit the local communities within which it operates.
KPA has been able to empower economies through Sports sponsorship where it has supported financially KPA run teams including the Bandari Football Club, KPA men and women Basketball teams, KPA men Volleyball team and grassroot tournaments in the villages which have been a source of employment for young athletes. These teams operate on a fully funded budget provided by the management that oversees travel, participation in tournaments and salaries for the players and their coaches. The KPA spends approximately 2 million dollars every financial year to fund sporting budgets for the various sponsored teams. This amount caters for salaries/allowances for the players and coaches, local and international travel as well as scholarship and prizes payments.The teams are professionally run with a clear hierarchy of leadership with the KPA Managing Director as the patron for the various disciplines.
Equally, KPA fully supports grassroots tournaments in surrounding counties with the recent tournaments staged in Kwale and Taita-Taveta counties. With full participation of the Authority in collaboration with community leaders these tournaments help identify talent, offering educational scholarships for the top young players to be able to pursue academics alongside sports. Through sports tournaments, KPA has mitigated some societal challenges that continue to afflict the local communities including drug abuse among the youth which is rampant because of unemployment. By providing structured sports programs, KPA keeps youth away from drug abuse, alcoholism, and crime, thereby promoting mental and physical health.
Similarly, these sponsorships have accrued other benefits including promoting gender equality as the Authority has sponsored both the men and women leagues in Basketball and Football. This initiative has empowered girls to overcome challenging gender stereotypes in sports, especially among the coastal communities which are highly marginalized, fostering confidence in the young girls.
The grassroots Talent Development has also reduced urban-rural opportunity gap providing various opportunities for the youth players and coaches with a trickle-down effect on small vendors and business owners. KPA’s tournaments have also helped unite communities, reducing crime and fostering peace and social cohesion.