President William Ruto on Friday officially unveiled the much-awaited Talanta Plaza in Upper Hill, Nairobi.
The milestone is set to centralise the Ministry Of Youth Affairs, The Arts & Sports operations and strengthen synergies among the Departments and SAGAs within the ministry, for efficient service delivery.
Speaking during the official opening ceremony, Ruto said that the Talanta Plaza was a symbol of the government's commitment to investing in talent, passion, entrepreneurship, and innovation among the youth.
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"Talanta Hela is a true reflection of the Bottom Up Economic Transformation model, as such we will continue investing in talent, passions, foster entrepreneurship and innovation among our youth," Ruto said.
He urged the youth to pursue their passions with unwavering determination and renewed urgency.
He also pointed out the need for the youth to venture out into the blue green and orange economies, taking advantage of the frameworks set to support these ecosystems.
The President also commended the Ministry for its development, saying that it presents an opportunity for constant exchange of ideas.
He encouraged the Ministry to accelerate movement, harness expertise, and continue building on the successful work done so far.
“This avenue presents an opportunity for constant exchange of ideas. I encourage you to accelerate movement, Harness Expertise & continue building on the successful work done so far,” Ruto said.
CS Ababu Namwamba, the Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, The Arts & Sports, said that the Talanta Plaza was a testament to the government's commitment to matters youth and talent empowerment.
He said that the government had inherited a scene where Kenya was under a real threat of being banned by World Athletics for doping, but that they had engaged the world body and Kenya had been spared the ban.
He added that the government had also put in place a concise multi-agency brutal war against doping, fully funded by the government at Sh 700M a year for the next 5 years.
“We inherited a scene where Kenya was under a real threat of being banned by World Athletics for doping but we engaged them and Kenya was spared the ban. We now have a concise multi-agency brutal war against doping, fully funded by Gov at Sh 700M a year for the next 5 years,” Namwamba said.
"We inherited not only a sports scene on its death bed but also a creative space that was quite incoherent. Am glad we have stabilized these quarters and we continue establishing synergy."
The CS also acknowledged the recent election of Major General (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei as the Vice-President of World Athletics, saying that it was a good sign of great things ahead.
The function was also attended by a number of Kenyan athletes, who were awarded cash prizes by the President following their recent heroics in Budapest.
The athletes included gold medalists Faith Kipyegon and Mary Moraa.
The Talanta Plaza is a building with 16 floors that accommodates the Ministry of Youth Affairs, The Arts & Sports, Sports Fund, Sports federations and the National Olympic Committed on Kenya (NOC-K) office.
