Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba on Tuesday, December 13, revealed the vital role the eSports industry plays in realizing Kenya as a regional and Africa Technology hub.
Speaking while flagging off the Kenya Esports National team set for the global eSports games in Turkey from Thursday, December 15 to Saturday, December 17, Namwamba affirmed that more youths had capitalised on the opportunity and ventured into the gaming industry.
He added that the eSports would benefit from the government's digital superhighway agenda- hence otherwise attract more events and grow the pool of game development partnerships.
Kenya will have representation from seven gamers who will compete in three categories: Dota2, E-Football and Street Fighter.
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“The PWC Africa Media and Entertainment report (2022) indicates that the Video Games market in Kenya generated Ksh15 billion and is valued at over Ksh 16.8 billion ($137M), with a compound annual growth rate of 8.7 percent. eSports offers Kenyan youth an alternate livelihood, with huge earning potential,” read part of the statement from the Ministry of Sports.
Esports involves organized and competitive video gaming played on Computers, Smartphones, or consoles.
Kenya is a member of the Global Esports Federation which organizes different competitions.
Kenya's Esports team qualified to participate in the Istanbul 2022 Global Esports Game at the invitation of the Global Esports Federation.
One of the notable names in Kenya's e-sports is Sylvia Gathoni, a law graduate lawyer signed by two top e-sports companies XiT Woundz and UYU.
Gathoni is one of the first e-sports athletes to make the 'Forbes Under 30' list of global trailblazers.
In the gaming world, the 24-year-old nicknamed QueenArrow is one of the most influential gamers.
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