The Ministry of Sports has announced the discontinuation of the Talanta Hela national and regional tournaments, effective immediately.
In place of the Talanta Hela initiative, the ministry has adopted a new approach to talent identification and development, focusing on collaboration between the Kenya Academy of Sports and the existing school sports infrastructure.
Talanta Hela was introduced to monetize and harness Kenya’s talents by identifying, nurturing, and developing them.
However, Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen clarified that large-scale tournaments like the Talanta Hela Under-19 are not within the mandate of the Kenya Academy of Sports.
He explained that the academy will now focus on nurturing young talent in partnership with the Kenya Primary Sports Association and the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association, which already oversee school sports.
“I have instructed the Kenya Academy of Sports to concentrate on nurturing young talent and leave the management and development of older players to their respective federations. While the national tournaments we held last year were beneficial, these can now be organized by sponsors, county governments, and federations. Our priority is to support young talent in primary and secondary schools,” Murkomen said.

Ababu Namwamba launching Talanta Hela last year.
Adding; “As part of the ongoing review of the Sports Act and Sports Policy, Murkomen emphasized that the government is working to establish clear development pathways for athletes, starting from schools. “We will explore how universities and colleges can contribute as we progress,”.
This shift comes a year after the Talanta Hela initiative was launched at Nyayo Stadium by former Sports CS Ababu Namwamba.