By John Kwoba
NAIROBI, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Kenya risks missing out from the Africa Women's Nations Cup finals in Ghana next month as it struggles to raise 430,000 U.S. dollars to fund the trip.
The team, which secured qualification to the premier continental women's football competition, courtesy of an appeal that locked out Equatorial Guinea, had no budget for the tourney and only got the nod to participate four days ago.
Nick Mwendwa, president of Football Kenya Federation, wants the country's parliament to fast track operationalize of the Sports Fund, set up in 2016, so that the team can be bankrolled from its proceeds.
The fund draws its inflow from Sports Bookies and Lotteries but has since its inception not been actualized.
"I am appealing to parliament to clear the stumbling blocks that are standing in the way of the operationalization of the Sports Fund. This way, we can be able to raise enough funding to see our national teams through our international assignments," Mwendwa said in Nairobi on Tuesday.
The eight-team Africa Women's Nations Cup tournament is set to kick off in Ghana on Nov. 17. It will be Kenya's second appearance at the competition following its debut at the 2016 tournament in Cameroon.
"We took part in the 2016 edition for the first time ever. Now, the players are more experienced. I hope the government will give the women's team full support as it has done with the senior men's team Harambee Stars. I'm confident that they will give a good account of themselves in Ghana," said Mwendwa.
The team will move to training camp on Monday and will play two friendly matches against Uganda before jetting out to Ghana on Nov. 14.
Kenya will thus join hosts Ghana, defending champions Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa, Mali, Algeria and Zambia for the tournament.
Kenya has been pooled against Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia in the group stage of the competition with the top two teams making it to the semifinals.
