Nairobi, Kenya – 30 November 2009

One of our favorite expressions from Kenya was “Karibu”, the Swahili word which means “You’re welcome.” It is not only the response to thank you, but it is also a greeting meaning – “ You are welcome here”. And that is how we felt about our experience in east Africa discovering sport culture in Kenya these past two weeks.

Kenya is the cultural center of the group of east African countries, and its beating heart is the capital of Nairobi. Once again, we were hit by the differences from our previous stops on the Why Sport Matters journey. While still in Africa, there is a different pace for the people of east Africa — as well as the distinct association with the safari. To honor the safari, we met up with fellow FIFA Master alumi Doreen Odhiambo at the famous Carnivore restaurant, a restaurant which serves up barbeque of a variety of species including crocodile and ostrich (see photo).

Sport in Kenya has been significantly influenced by the colonial legacy of the English. While divided into over 40 different tribes, the country is united by the languages of Swahili and English…and sport! Though again the most popular sport is football, there is also the presence of rugby, cricket (supported by a large Indian population), and of course running. How do they produce such good athletes?

One of the top questions Why Sport Matters wanted to cover was why Kenya is able to consistently produce the world’s elite distance runners. Following some insightful discussions with Kenya Olympic Committee Secretary General FK Paul and legendary runner Paul Tergat, we made the trek out to western Kenya’s Rift Valley and the home of runners – Eldoret. This part of Kenya sits up on a plateau over 2,000 meters in elevation. At the Kip Keino High Performance Training Center, we actually ran the same cross country track the big boys train on (see video).

Football in Kenya has been plagued in past years by poor management and lack of direction. The Kenya Premier League has until recently been a forgotten commodity, and the English Premiership rules the airwaves and pub conversation. However, recently funding has been made by Supersport, a South African sports channel, that is investing in both Kenya and African football. They are hoping to replicate the advances in South African football to the rest of the continent, and have made big inroads into Kenya and Nigeria. We plan to see more of Supersport while we are in South Africa.

The future seems bright for rugby in Kenya, which may be one of the countries most impacted by the IOC’s recent decision to add Rugby Sevens to the Olympic programme. Why Sport Matters spent a day with the Kenya national team in training (who are now competing in Dubai), as well as attended the Safari Sevens tournament held at Harlequins home field in Nairobi. This was one of a series of weekend tournaments which brings the countries club teams together for healthy competition and identifying future stars.

It wouldn’t be a complete trip to Kenya without a visit to one of the national parks for a safari. The safari is very much part of Kenyan life – obvious from the country’s top mobile carrier and big sport sponsor, Safaricom. We slipped away for a few days to the famous Masai Mara National Reserve, where we got our first taste of the big game animals in the wild. Though we thought we were taking a break from sport, Why Sport Matters seems to find it everywhere. It turns out that our new friend who works at the tent camp where we stayed is the captain of the local football team, and they train every afternoon in a field outside of the fences of the park. That’s right – they are out in the wild with the rest of the safari animals! Though the big cats don’t seem to bother the players, they still keep a watchful eye out! I got the pleasure of being invited to join training one day (video at top).

Our last day proved to be a true inspiration. After visiting earlier the infamous Kibera slum with Kenyan triathlete Vincent, who showed us his efforts to get the local kids doing sport, we were also invited to the Mathare slum for the finals of the league competition (see photo). These are two of the biggest slums in Africa and home to more than 2 million people living in poverty. At Mathare, the MYSA sports club has grown over the last 20 years into a huge organized football league with 20,000+ participants and 1,500 teams – all from the slum! The principle of the MYSA club is that it is run from the bottom up, with all athletes, referees, administrators and organisers being members of the club itself. This is coupled with a code of ethics of respect, fairplay and community service. The impact of this club on the community is astonishing, and an example of what can be done through the power of sport for social change.

We are already looking forward to a return trip to Kenya. A special thanks to Rachel our amazing TEAMMATE and her husband Collins (cricket star), along with his brothers David, Charles and Kennedy. Further thanks to John at the Fairmont in Masai Mara, Bob at MYSA, FK Paul at the NOC, and Ian Keino in Eldoret.

For the month of December, the adventure continues as Why Sport Matters explores the country of South Africa!

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