In Eldoret, the morning silence is traditionally broken by the rhythmic thud of running shoes hitting the tarmac. This North Rift town is globally revered as the ultimate breeding ground for distance running champions.
However, deep within the city’s CBD, a different kind of rhythm is taking over. Stepping away from the shadow of athletics and football, a growing legion of children, teenagers, and adults are taking to the mats to embrace taekwondo.
At the heart of this quiet martial arts revolution is Emmanuel Busienei, a 26-year-old black belt determined to prove that the City of Champions has room for more than just runners.
Taekwondo is an Olympic combat sport mainly associated with countries such as South Korea. Busienei, the founder and head coach of EldoCity Taekwondo Sports Club, is determined to nurture talent in the sport in Kenya.
What began as an idea promoted through a simple social media post in 2023 has grown into a club with over 50 registered members. Busienei says the wider programme reaches around 400 students through schools and other training programmes.
Coaches Mile Awiti (left) and Emmanuel Busienei, of Eldocity Taekwondo Sports Club in Eldoret, during a training session on August 26.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation
The club was formally registered in 2024. After a year of intensive training, the club began sending athletes to local and international competitions.
At the 2025 Korean Ambassadors Cup, the club’s junior athletes finished third overall, while the senior athletes finished fourth — a significant accomplishment for Busienei and his team.
Busienei had doubts about introducing taekwondo to an athletics-dominated region because he knew the technical demands of training.
“My concern was that it is a unique sport. However, I was keen to embrace another type of sport and see if it could be as successful as athletics and football. The response has been good so far,” he told Nation Sport.
The club currently has around 20 active senior members. It also has more than 20 others who work and only train when their schedules allow. Its junior programme has around 150 students. Training programmes in schools have helped to increase the overall number of participants to around 400.
Unlike many businesses that require significant start-up capital, Busienei says his journey began with virtually nothing.
“I started with zero costs. I only opened a social media page and asked anyone interested in the sport to get in touch. So far, the response has been good,” he says.
The club operates in and around the CBD of Eldoret. Affordability is one of its key priorities, with monthly subscriptions of Sh1,000 to Sh3,000.
However, acquiring the necessary equipment remains challenging. Taekwondo requires mats and protective gear, among other things. The club has found a way of sharing the financial burden, though. Members contribute towards the cost of purchasing equipment which are then shared.
aith Tanui from (left), Faith Imani, Emmanuel Busienei (coach), and Audrey Maganga, of Eldocity Taekwondo Sports Club team in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County, during training at Tamarid building on August 26, 2026.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation
For Busienei, though, taekwondo is about more than just learning how to fight. One of his biggest tasks has been changing perceptions in a region known for athletics and football.
“When we introduce the sport to newcomers, we explain that taekwondo is not just about fighting, but also about acquiring skills. I believe that in future some of our members will represent Kenya in the Olympics,” he says. Busienei’s journey began over a decade ago. At that time, he was a student at St Anthony Moiben High School in Uasin Gishu County.
He became interested in taekwondo in 2014. At the time, schools were not permitted to offer taekwondo training, so he received his early lessons informally, during the holidays.
His curiosity grew and he later trained under coach Fredrick Lule for three years before moving to Nairobi, where he met coach Voya and gained further exposure.
Today, Busienei holds a black belt and is preparing to progress to another level. He says he wants to leave a mark before he retires from the sport.
His transformation from a teenager eager to learn the sport to a 26-year-old club owner is perhaps the clearest sign of how far his passion has taken him and his ambitions are now extending beyond Eldoret.
The club has already hosted its second edition of competitions, attracting teams including the General Service Unit and Kenya Defence Forces, and Busienei wants to establish links with clubs abroad so that these athletes can gain international exposure and opportunities.
Mike Awiti, Coach, from (left), Linda Kimutai, Jeremiah Wekesa, Faith Tanui, Faith Imani, Audrey Maganga, Emmanuel Busienei (coach), and Silas Ashema (down), of Eldocity Taekwondo Sports Club team in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County, during training at Tamarid building on August 26, 2026.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation
“We have grown in the last three years and our goal is to interact with clubs abroad so that our members can get exposure and have more opportunities,” he says.
In an athletics-rich region, Busienei is betting that there is room for another sporting dream and if the growing number of children stepping onto taekwondo mats in Eldoret is anything to go by, the city’s sporting identity may soon stretch well beyond running.
Linda Kimutai, a taekwondo coach who is a teacher by profession said that she loves coaching young kids and she has seen an influx of players who want to become professionals.
Kimutai said that her love for the sport started when she was seven years old but it was until after school that she started training seriously.
When she was going through the admission letter to join Kibabii University, she saw taekwondo as one of the clubs in the institution and promptly joined.
“I just love coaching young kids because they get to learn easily but again it needs a lot of patience because they lose interest easily. I would love to teach these kids to the national level where they can be able to join Team Kenya,” said Kimutai.
The club conducts demonstrations and monthly sensitisation programmes to help parents and the wider community understand the discipline. Many more families are embracing the sport.
