Kenya pushes for talent monetization at Magical Kenya Open auction

Ladies and gentlemen, there is a serious need to monetise talents in this country to empower our sportsmen and women.

This was the clarion call made by the government during the second sponsors and stakeholders player's auction bid held at the historic Golf Park in Nairobi on Wednesday night ahead of the 2025 Magical Kenya Open (MKO) golf championship that is set for Muthaiga Golf Club in the Kenyan capital on February 20-23.

The auction of apparels and shirts for local MKO players realised Sh3.3 Million which will be used to support the ten Kenyan pros, four amateurs and two juniors who will fly the country's flag in the 56th edition of the global golf showpiece.

" This is a step in the right direction. There is great progress in this. The auction is meant to pioneer a market for sportsmen and women and sponsors, not just for golf alone, but for all the disciplines," Kenya Vision 2030 Director General, Kenneth Mwige, who oversaw the bidding, told Standard Sports.

" The auction is meant to monetise marketing and branding opportunities for our players and there is no other way to do it than at the MKO, which is a tournament that is watched yearly by at least over 500 million fans from across the globe."

Mwige reiterated the need for Kenya to place monetary value on local sportsmen and women stating that we are currently not doing enough as a country to shine light on this front.

"Apart from MKO, WRC Safari Rally is another global home event we should leverage our market on. We should create a platform where athletes can go with their talents and get supported in terms of monetisation of their skills and talents. It is high time we became serious on the Return On Investment (ROI) in sports," he highlighted.

Mwige has called upon partnership between the government and the private sectors to aid in the monetisation of talents.

" The corporate should stop competing among themselves during the Magical Kenya Open, instead, they should cooperate with each other to take the championship and the Kenyan players to the next level," he underlined.

Mwige stated that he is glad that their effort to give Kenyan athletes limelight since 2021 has started to pay off.

"We held the first auction in 2022 but it did not realise much, I believe the next auction in 2026 will be bigger and better," he reiterated.

Meanwhile, top three Kenyan amateurs and pros at this year's MKO will be rewarded whether they make the cut or not.

This was declared by the NCBA Bank who sponsored the Kenya Vision 2030 Auction Golf Night at Golf Park in Nairobi on Wednesday.

The leading financial institution has pledged to give Sh500,000 for the top local pro in the tournament. Sh 300,000 will go for the runners up while third place finisher in the category will walk home with Sh 200,000.

" For the amateur category, we will reward Sh150,000, Sh 100,000 and Sh 50,000 in that order of finish," Nelly Wainaina, NCBA Group Director, Marketing, Communication and Citizenship said.

NCBA/Kenya Vision 2030 Auction Golf Night results at Golf Park in Nairobi on Wednesday

1.First Nine Winner:  Steve Chongati, 32 nett

2.Special Category: John Ngugi, 62

3.Guest Winner: Benson Kanyi, 68

4.Lady Runners Up: Dianah Kimani, 68

5.Man Runners Up: Wilson Mugambi,71

6.Lady Winner: Audrey Khaleji, 67

7.Men Winner: Peter Muchogu, 69

8.Gross Winner: Rafael Leming'ani, 69

9.Overall Winner: Oliver Njau,65