NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 23 — President William Ruto has directed the Sports Ministry to recalibrate the government’s athletes’ reward scheme to include a pension component.
Speaking at the funeral of late marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum, President Ruto said the move will ensure athletes lead a comfortable life upon retirement.
He added that the government will work with all the stakeholders in the sports sector to educate athletes on the better ways to invest the money they receive after participating in and winning races.
“We are going to adjust our reward system so that it is not just about money for today, but it also becomes money for the future,” he said.
Ruto instructed Sports CS Ababu Namwamba to actualize the plan to cater to the welfare of the athletes.
The Head of State committed to supporting sportsmen and women through additional budgetary allocations to support sports development.
Mentorship
Additionally, President Ruto urged veteran athletes and coaches to mentor young athletes to promote their welfare and guide them to success.
“We will do our part as the government of Kenya, and I implore everybody else to do their part,” he added.
In his tribute, President Ruto celebrated Kiptum as an ambitious, disciplined, and focused individual who dedicated himself to his craft.
Ruto highlighted Kiptum’s remarkable journey from humble beginnings to breaking world records, despite facing numerous challenges along the way.
Despite his humble background, Ruto said the dedication of Kiptum who tragically lost his life in a road accident on February 11, alongside his Rwandese coach Gervais Hakizimana, enabled him to break through the glass ceiling and set world records.
“Kiptum had more reasons not to succeed than he had to succeed, but he worked against the odds,” President Ruto remarked during Kiptum’s final sendoff at his Chepsaimo home in Keiyo South.
“He could have said I come from a village that is not very known, or I come from a family that cannot cater for me, or that I don’t even have running shoes, or that he ran barefoot in his earlier days, but he did not see those impediments to his ambition and to his success.”
President Ruto urged Kenyans to emulate Kiptum’s determination to propel the country forward and make Kenya great.
