In November, the National Basketball Association (NBA) will establish an office in Nairobi, thanks to an agreement between Kenya and the NBA.
The announcement was confirmed on Friday morning through State House spokesperson Hussein Mohammed, who disclosed that Kenya had agreed a deal with NBA.
This move is a significant milestone in the development of basketball in Kenya, as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two parties.
The signing ceremony was attended by Youth Affairs and Sports CS Ababu Namwamba, NBA Africa CEO Victor William and President William Ruto.
This makes Kenya the second country in the region with a similar arrangement after Rwanda.
Rwanda was also the first country on the continent to host a Basketball Africa League tournament in 2021.
The deal will see school community-based grassroots talent development under the Talanta Hela Initiative.
It also includes the training of teachers as certified basketball coaches and scouts.
Additionally, there are plans for the enhancement of basketball infrastructure, like the construction of basketball courts in schools, communities and neighborhoods
Also in the MoU is the establishment of a state-of-the-art arena for hosting premier-level competitions.
“The signing of an agreement with the National Basketball Association (NBA) will facilitate the development of basketball infrastructure in Kenya, with the capacity to host top-level competitions,”President Ruto noted.
This is the first major sporting deal that the country has signed since Ruto came to office.
