John Lokedi's mission is simple in Paris. Win the men’s 5,000metres T13 at the Paris Paralympic Games and be able to build his mother a decent house in Lola and Kolo villages in Kapenguria, West Pokot County.
Lokedi, who is the second born in a family of five boys, also wants to continue paying school fees for his last born brother Rooster as well as take his second last born brother Peter back to school.
Lokedi, whose father passed away in 2001, has planned well for the allowances he has received for the Paris Paralympics.
Winning a medal for the country will even be better for Lokedi who will bank on cash rewards from the government.
Those winning gold at the Olympics, Paralympics and World Championships will now be pocketing Sh3 million in the revised cash reward scheme.
Lokedi, who pocketed Sh100,000 in allowances as a guide in Team Kenya training camp for the 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games, was able to build his mum a semi-permanent house in Lola.
Lokedi would further buy a five-acre land in Kola from allowances he got after competing in World Grand Prix and World Para Athletics Championships.
“I was able to build a thatched house for mum on the land in Lola as well as pay school fees for my younger brother,” said Lokedi, who has also been providing medical care for her sick mother.
“I take my mum to Lola during the cold season but return her to Kolo when the weather is relatively warmer. She is only able to cook food and can’t do other jobs because of her illness,” explained Lokedi, explaining that they were left to fend for themselves after their father passed on in 2001.
Lokedi and his first born and third born brothers are blind although his other two brothers and their mother have no visual challenges.
After he cleared class eight at St Francis School for the Visually Impaired School in 2022, Lokedi fully focused on athletics so as to help her mother and two other brothers.
After his father passed on, Lokedi stated that his father’s family neglected them and were forced to survive through menial jobs like ferrying luggage at Makutano area in Kapenguria and tilling farms for people besides engaging in construction work.
“Imagine three of us blind. It became worse when mum started ailing in 2008,” said Lokedi, who has been nicknamed the smiling assassin at Team Kenya.
“My dream is to change all these through sports… I want to give my mother the best medical care and see how she fares,” said Lokedi.
He is determined to win at the Paris Paralympics after finishing fourth at the World Para Athletics Championships in May this year in Kobe, Japan.
Lokedi said his ultimate satisfaction is for his two brothers, who have perfect eyesight to reach the highest level of education.
"Peter looks very promising and I want Rooster to go back to school after dropping out," he said.
“We have been camp long enough from Kapsabet to Compiegne, France and it’s our hope that these efforts and sacrifices will bear fruits,” said Lokedi.
He was in Team Kenya camp for three weeks in Kapsabet before proceeding to Compiegne for another two weeks camp on August 8.
“I have known Lokedi since he embraced para-athletics four years ago,” said coach Ruth Ndalut, noting that Lokedi has improved greatly in his endurance and speed.
“He is persistent and a fighter, and I believe he will get us a medal.”
Lokedi picked up athletics while at St Francis School for the Blind in Kapenguria, West Pokot where he cleared in 2021.
The school has produced notable para athletes, including 2012 London Paralympics 1,500m T11 champion Samwel Mushai, who is also the 2016 Rio 5,000m T11 champion.
Initially, Lokedi took up volleyball and football before settling on athletics.
His first major outing was the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris where he finished fifth in 5,000m T13, missing to qualify for the Paris Paralympics by a whisker. The top four athletes earned automatic qualification to the Games.
Lokedi finished fourth in 5,000m in personal best 14:57.72 and 11th in 1,500m during the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan.
His time in Kobe placed him in the High Performance ranking hence qualifying for his maiden Paralympic Games at the Paris 2024.
