On Friday, Kenya Prisons Service Commissioner-General Patrick Aranduh presented Odira with the badge and baton of her new rank in a ceremony at the Kenya Prisons Service headquarters in Magereza House, Nairobi. Her previous rank was Constable.
Accompanied by two-time world marathon champion Catherine 'The Great' Ndereba and Nicholas Maswai, head of Team Kenya to the recent Tokyo World Championships, Aranduh paid glowing tribute to Odira, 26.
Kenya's Lilian Odira celebrates winning the Women's 800m on September 21, 2025 during the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025.
“Today, we do not just welcome you back to work, we celebrate and thank you for an incredible feat that brought honour to our country and service,” said Aranduh.
“This is a good surprise...I feel so happy for this promotion,” said Odira, who had come in a sports tracksuit only to be told to change into the Prisons Service fatigue and wait for something nice.
Aranduh added: “We watched with bated breath as you pushed your limit at the championships. We cheered and stood as you mounted that podium to receive the gold medal.”
He told Odira that the medals won by Team Kenya were not just a symbol of success, but proof of what can be achieved when discipline meets talent, and sacrifice meets opportunity.
Aranduh said that Odira and her Kenya Prisons colleagues showcased the true spirit of the service at the world championships: a spirit of reformation and transformation, not confinement.
“The heat and heart of a champion lives within these green uniforms, [showing] the world that Kenya Prisons institutions are not just about correction but are also unleashing human potential,” said Aranduh. “You ran the race, kept the faith, and brought honour.”
He praised Athletics Kenya for their faith in Kenya Prisons in appointing Maswai, the Deputy Commissioner-General of Prisons, as head of Team Kenya for the World Championships, and Gedion Chirchir as the team's middle and distance coach.
Kenya's Lilian Odira crosses the finish line to win the final in the Women's 800m on September 21, 2025 during the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
Odira upstaged the defending champion and compatriot, Mary Moraa, as well as Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain to claim the world title in a championship record time of one minute and 54.62 seconds. The championship record had stood for 42 years.
A delighted Odira, accompanied by her coach Jacinta Muraguri, said that this promotion and honour would spur her on to achieve even greater things as she shifts her focus to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, next year.
“This makes me aspire to work harder for greater things. This is just the start of my new journey and for sure I will do better and run better times soon,” she said. “I won’t be under any pressure to achieve anything for now.”
Odira paid tribute to coach Muraguri, Ndereba and her family for supporting her.
Muraguri believes that Odira can achieve even more if she maintains her discipline, works hard and stays focused.
