The Amazon Monument on the Esplanade des Amazones in the 12th district of Benin’s largest city, Cotonou, towered high over Kevin Kiarie Ruhiu as he stood tall for self and country on the winners’ podium.
Kiarie, the Bachelor of Technology Civil Engineering graduate from the Technical University of Kenya, had just won gold for Kenya in freestyle battle at the International Skating Challenge Cotonou, the competition hosted in the Beninese city from April 1 to 5.
Earlier, Kiarie had won the silver medal in the classic slalom category, but it was his gold medal that got Kenyans talking.
Kenyans, spoilt by the success of its athletes at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, have a high affinity for gold, the 79th element of the periodic table, and on Sunday night, Kiarie’s achievement turned a sport that Kenyans knew little about beyond it being a Sunday afternoon pastime into something they really cared about.
Kenyan freestyle skater Kevin Kiarie at the 2025 Inline Freestyle World Championship held in Singapore in December 2025.
Photo credit: Pool
Kiarie had done so much for the country, but with, allegedly, no support from the government and the Ministry of Sports, Kenyans complained. Kenyans reacted to Kiarie’s success with flowers for him and whips for the government for neglecting athletes in individual sports for the umpteenth time.
“Huge congratulations to Kevin Kiarie Ruhiu for winning GOLD for Kenya at the skating championships. But beyond the celebration, there’s a hard truth: A Kenyan athlete just made the country proud without institutional support,” Caroline Oduor (@OduorACaroline) posted on X.
“Skater Kevin Kiarie was not funded by the government, nor did he receive any support from the Ministry of Sports, but he proudly wears the Kenyan outfit and the flag. What a patriot!” stated Kipruto (@KiprutToo) on X.
Also posting on X, Njeri (@its_winky) said:“I love sports and seeing people thrive in them. It’s sad how we recognise talent after they’ve gone through it all alone and in a foreign country. Congratulations, Kevin Kiarie!!”
Expectedly, the uproar got the attention of the Ministry of Sports, who, through Sports PS Elijah Mwangi, reacted with a Facebook post which was later deleted, but screenshots and copy-paste buttons were faster.
“All Hail Kevin Kiarie Ruhiu; Africa’s King of Skating. Kiarie becomes a history maker by winning a gold and silver at the International Challenge Cotonou Speed and Inline Freestyle Skating Championship in Benin. Skating has emerged as one of the fastest growing sport; a speed-driven adrenaline-filled engagement marked by mastery of balance and control; a sport that has undoubtedly taken Kenya by storm,” Mwangi had said in his statement.
Further describing skating as “a novel sport”, Mwangi had said that Kiarie’s success proved “Kenya has abundant of skating talent that we are nurturing, promoting and developing.”
“The government remains fully committed to developing talents in diverse sports as we strive to commercialise and monetise sporting skills. We are working with stakeholders and federations to promote and support both the established sports as well as e-sports and other emerging sporting disciplines. The win in Benin is a testament that Kenya is fully intent on becoming a global powerhouse in skating. Congratulations, Kiarie for this victory,” Mwangi had added.
While Mwangi’s deleted Facebook post suggested the Ministry of Sports is doing everything to develop skating and other novel sports, Caroline Amondi, the Director of Sports, told Nation Sport that the Ministry of Sports could not support Kiarie’s participation in Benin because the athlete did not make a request for funding.
“Kelvin Kiarie did not seek financial support from the Ministry,” Amondi said.
Further to that, Amondi stated that while the Ministry prioritises funding of national teams, athletes in individual sports can still qualify for support if the federation they are affiliated to is registered by the Sports Registrar. “Once registered, they may be considered for funding based on factors such as their potential, their past performance, and availability of funds,” Amondi said.
Kevin Kiarie speaking at a political rally in Roysambu, Nairobi, in February 2026.
Photo credit: Pool
“The Kenya Federation of Roller Skating has been experiencing ongoing leadership wrangles. As a result, its athletes have not received support from the Ministry for a number of years,” Amondi added.
In a related enquiry, Juney Karisa, the Ministry of Sports’ Director of Public Communications, clarified that leadership wrangles in a federation are never a hindrance to the Ministry supporting its affiliated athletes.
“If there are leadership wrangles in a federation, its athletes can, on their own, approach the Ministry for support and get assistance following a review of their request,” she said.
Efforts to get the Kenya Federation of Roller Skating’s position on the matter did not bear fruit as their officials were unreachable on phone.
Speaking to Nation Sport hours after landing in the country on Monday morning, Kiarie refused to comment on the status of his relationship with the Kenya Federation of Roller Skating and the Ministry of Sports.
“As an athlete, I do not want to talk about politics,” Kiarie said. He, however, confirmed that he had been contacted by the Ministry of Sports but did not share details of their conversation.
