Gains and losses in sports during Uhuru’s tenure

If I was privileged enough to pen a personalised message to President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is living the final days of his presidency, I would quote Reggae music legend Bob Marley, who once said, “Beginnings are usually scary, and endings are usually sad, but it's everything in between that makes it all worth living.”

Indeed, the beginnings of President Kenyatta’s tenure must have been a scary undertaking, given the burdensome baggage of a crimes against humanity case which he and his deputy William Ruto walked into office with. A little more than nine years later, the time has come for President Kenyatta to pack up his suitcases, say his goodbyes and vacate State House.

Early this week, the outgoing president said he would hand over power to his estranged deputy with a smile, but for reasons that all Kenyans know, Tuesday’s ceremony will not be the happiest of endings for the fourth president of Kenya.

With President Kenyatta’s beginnings and endings so summarised, it’s not such a bad idea then to have a look at his performance in between, specifically his scorecard as far as Kenyans sports is concerned.

The one thing that will forever hang around President Kenyatta’s neck like an albatross is that one unfulfilled promise of building five state-of-the-art stadiums. The outgoing president and his deputy made that promise in 2013 as part of an ambitious digital manifesto. Nothing ever came out of it.

The president though made a belated redemption of some sorts in April this year when he unveiled the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Lang'ata Barracks, Nairobi. The facility, which now hosts all military teams in the country, comprises a 7,500 capacity football stadium, two training grounds, basketball, tennis and volleyball courts, an indoor arena, swimming pool, hockey and rugby grounds. Befittingly, the complex was Friday’s venue for President Kenyatta’s military farewell by the Kenya Defence Forces.

Another big miss for President Kenyatta is that during his tenure the Ministry of Sports failed to call sports federations that have long been mismanaged to order. Football, the country’s favourite pastime, has been in the doldrums going to one year now following the disbandment of Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the subsequent indefinite ban from Fifa.

Sorting out the mess in Kenyan football – and any other sport for that matter – is surely ‘beyond’ President Kenyatta now. It is no longer his problem.

To his credit, President Kenyatta’s best gift to the Kenyan sporting fraternity is the role he played in having Safari Rally readmitted to the World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar two years ago after an absence of nearly two decades.

Thankfully, within a very short period the WRC Safari Rally has proved to be the most eagerly awaited spectator event in the country. The ripple effect has been immense, with corporates, hotels, tour operators and small scale traders all reaping bountifully each time the rally has come around.

It is also during President Kenyatta’s tenure that the country hosted some of the biggest global athletics events including last year’s World Athletics Under-20 Championships and before it, the 2017 IAAF World Under-18 Championships both held in Nairobi.

The Kenyan capital has also hosted two editions of the Kip Keino Classic as part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Series.

To President Kenyatta, we wish you Godspeed as you transition to retirement. To Dr Ruto and the incoming government, we wish you well.