The CS underscored Kenya’s competitive nature in terms of sports, with prospective athletes striving to prove themselves.
Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen assured Kenyans that there was no cause for alarm in terms of Kenyan athletes changing nationalities to win more medals, as has been the case recently.
Speaking in Nairobi during the flagging off of the athletes to represent Kenya in the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Lima, Peru on Friday, August 24, Murkomen noted that the athletes have their own reasons to run for other nations.
The CS underscored Kenya’s competitive nature in terms of sports, with prospective athletes striving to prove themselves.
However, because slots for representation in international competitions are limited, some athletes have no choice but to migrate to other countries to stand a better chance.
Sports CS Kipchumba Murkomen speaking during a gala night hosted by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) on August 23, 2024. /KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN
“Kenya is not an easy place to qualify. There are hundreds of athletes who could run, but Kenya being competitive has led to a situation where some of the athletes have chosen to either live in other countries or run for those countries, and we have no problem with that,” said Murkomen.
The CS however observed that it is a normal occurrence that sportsmen and women seek greener pastures outside their native countries.
“This is not the first time this is happening. I have seen that debate. When I was in high school, Wilson Kiopketer decided to switch his allegiance to Denmark, Lorna got married in the Netherlands and ran for it, Bernard Lang’at moved to USA and ran for the country,” he said.
Murkomen further argued that the athletes choosing to represent other countries do it in the best interest of the country, linking this to President William Ruto’s commitment to export labour to increase revenues in terms of remittances.
“Athletes going to look for opportunities abroad is equal to the labour we are exporting. They must be supported the same way the president is supporting the export of labour…labour migration should not be an issue.
“Those Kenyans train here; all their money comes back home as we see them build houses for their parents,” he said.
His comments came in the wake of Kenyan-born Winfred Yavi snatching gold in the 3000m steeplechase for Bahrain at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, raising serious concerns regarding the trend of Kenyan athletes switching allegiances to other countries.
Yavi switched her allegiance to Bahrain in 2016 after failing to secure a place on Team Kenya despite several trials. She has since become a formidable competitor for Kenyan athletes on the international stage, with victory in the Olympics over Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech.
Winfred Yavi celebrating moments after clinching gold in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Paris Olympics on August 6, 2024. /WINFRED YAVI