Paris Olympics: Kenyan athletes get enhanced allowances
President William Ruto with some of the 79-member Kenyan team to the Paris Olympics at State House, Nairobi on July 5, 2024.
New, increased allowance rates for Team Kenya officially came into effect on Wednesday, July 10 as announced by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K).
This follows a lengthy meeting between immediate former Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba, the ministry’s Principal Secretary Peter Tum and NOC-K officials on Tuesday at Talanta Plaza.
Athletes representing Kenya at the Olympic Games will now pocket Sh3,000 per day as local allowance, up from the previous Sh1,500m. Overseas daily allowance has also been increased from $200 (about Sh25,600) to $300 (Sh38,400).
NOC-K treasury Anthony Kariuki said that all Olympic-bound Kenyan athletes will now get the revised allowances following Friday's Presidential directive at State House, Nairobi.
Kariuki said that they could not have adjusted the changes until the Presidential orders were put on paper and signed officially by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
“We shall wire all the athlete's local allowances from tomorrow (Wednesday) while the overseas allowances will be dispatched immediately the athletes leave the country,” said Kariuki on Tuesday.
He, however, said they had used the old rates to pay athletes who flew out on Monday for France.
“The rugby players were paid Sh15,000 each for the 15 days that they were in camp but that will be adjusted accordingly and they will get all the allowances, calculated at the new rates, wired to their accounts immediately,” said Kariuki.
The NOC-K treasurer further clarified that local allowances for the athletes will cover 34 days while overseas 30 days. This means that each athlete will get a maximum of $9,000 (Sh1.152m) in overseas allowances and Sh102,000 in local allowances.
“We want to make all the details public,” said Kariuki.
President Ruto Friday directed Namwamba to fast-track the new rates that will also see Olympic gold medallists rewarded with Sh3 million, up form Sh1 million, silver medallists Sh2m up from Sh1m) and bronze medallists Sh750,000 (up from Sh500,000).
