The East Africa Local Authorities Sports and Cultural Association (EALASCA) 2024 Games has officially kicked off at the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Mamboleo.
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00:00 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
00:21 This game started in 2008.
00:27 It started from Machakos.
00:29 So we have been rotating in all East African countries.
00:34 But we are interrupted by COVID.
00:37 And we decided to give up then.
00:41 And we ended up coming to Kisumu.
00:46 Kisumu has hosted--
00:48 had hosted Alaska before.
00:49 But this time, we came and said, no.
00:51 Let us go back to our friends.
00:54 So that's why we are here.
00:57 And we are very grateful to the--
01:00 [INAUDIBLE] the deputy governor of Kisumu for having hosted us.
01:05 The purpose of these games is to interpret this relationship
01:13 we have among the local authorities,
01:19 the political leaders--
01:21 we say political leaders, because we don't say politician--
01:24 political leaders and technical officers.
01:27 So that they come together.
01:29 This helps them to network, to market their places where
01:34 we hold the games from, and to come up
01:38 with a regional cooperation so that we
01:40 have got East African community.
01:43 We have got many other associations affiliated
01:48 with the same.
01:49 So these games help us to bond that.
01:54 And it has made them-- because we are here,
01:57 through-- though we have been having so many challenges,
02:00 but we have managed to move them through the [INAUDIBLE]
02:02 governor.
02:03 OK.
02:04 So how many countries are participating in the games
02:06 currently?
02:06 Uganda.
02:08 Because of the short time, you know,
02:11 that's why I'm appreciating the governor.
02:13 He has done it in one month.
02:16 He came up and said, in one month, let us hold Alaska.
02:20 We could not hold Alaska twice in a year.
02:23 But we are likely to host Alaska, even in December.
02:28 This is just when Alaska is supposed to take place.
02:31 Now, the other countries, they were saying now,
02:33 if there's Alaska-- and the short time,
02:35 you know you cannot prepare in one month or whatever.
02:39 So we have had two countries, Uganda and Kenya.
02:43 Will they be participating in the coming games?
02:46 Yes, they will be participating.
02:47 How many?
02:48 You can mention them twice.
02:49 I cannot predict.
02:51 But you know, East African communities now big.
02:55 We have got Somalia.
02:57 We have got southern Sudan.
02:59 We have got Congo.
03:00 We have got Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, and Kenya.
03:05 Because we are here.
03:08 This game will take how long?
03:09 Maybe the period of four days.
03:11 Four days.
03:13 Well, for the next four days, Kisumu
03:16 will be hosting, actually starting today,
03:19 the Alaska games.
03:20 These games are playing local governments,
03:24 or what we call in Kenya, subnational governments,
03:27 with other local authorities together in East Africa.
03:32 And so we have a theme.
03:35 Like for this year, we are saying
03:36 we are building synergy.
03:40 I can just say it.
03:41 It's saying building synergy is through sports and culture.
03:45 Building synergy through sports and culture.
03:48 In East Africa, we are trying to integrate.
03:51 In our economy, we are integrating.
03:55 In our politics, we are integrating.
03:56 You are aware that now we have the East African Legislative
04:00 Assembly.
04:01 And we believe that one of the ways
04:03 that we can help integrate East Africa is through sports.
04:07 Because there's nothing that brings us together
04:10 like our sports and our culture.
04:13 And so it is our opportunity as the county of Kisumu,
04:16 as the city of Kisumu, and our country,
04:18 to host this year's edition of the Alaska Games.
04:21 As you've been told, we are here with Uganda.
04:26 They have sent a very big delegation.
04:27 By the more than 90 participants.
04:31 Kenyans, of course, we are here with the COSCA, which
04:35 is really the executive arm of the subnational governments
04:39 that they have.
04:40 But also we have CAF.
04:42 CAF is the Assemblies Federation that
04:47 brings together the county assemblies in Kenya.
04:49 But we have integrated them among ourselves.
04:52 So the team that we have, for example, for football,
04:54 is basically a Kenyan team that brings together the county
04:57 assembly, the county executive, from all over Kenya.
05:00 Before one team that then presents us
05:02 in this particular tournament.
05:04 So we are looking forward to people coming in,
05:09 to also get to support the team that are playing here.
05:12 But not just that, to appreciate other people and their culture.
05:16 And also to help us in that kind of integration
05:19 that we're talking about.
05:21 Lastly, we have AFKON coming up in 2027.
05:26 And the AFKON edition, this time around,
05:28 will be hosted by East Africa as a unit.
05:32 Some matches will be played in Uganda,
05:33 some matches will be played in Kenya,
05:35 some matches will be played in Tanzania.
05:38 So it is time that we build momentum towards AFKON.
05:43 That's why, Chair, we are hoping that the next edition of the
05:46 Alaska really should have as many countries within East
05:49 Africa participating and build momentum towards 2027
05:53 when we host AFKON.
05:55 And in that time, we are looking forward
05:56 to people crossing the borders to watch the matches in whichever
06:01 country based on who will be playing at that time.
06:05 And on behalf of the governor, again,
06:06 we welcome all the participants, those of them who are from out
06:10 of the country, but even those of them who are participating
06:12 from other countries in our country.
06:15 And we look forward to seeing you.
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