Mercy Gakii
20 September 2008
Nairobi — Kenya's team to the Beijing Paralympic Games left State House, Nairobi, all smiles with a bagful of goodies on Saturday as President Mwai Kibaki joined corporates in rewarding the athletes for their brilliant performance in the Chinese capital.
The biggest smile was etched on Henry Kiprono Kirwa's face after the distance running star added Sh6 million to his bank balance thanks to his hat-trick of gold medals at the Games that ended last Wednesday.
The often forgotten athletes' guides also benefited from the cash awards.
Kenya finished number 27th overall and third in Africa behind South Africa and Tunisia with a medal haul of nine in a competition that listed 147 countries.
President Kibaki - who was handed back the national flag by stand-in captain Kirwa - was in a generous mood, dishing out Sh100 million towards the refurbishing of Eldoret's Kipchoge Keino Stadium and promising to give the national paralympics association an office and hire a full time administrator to ease execution of their programmes.
Supplementary budget
"Last year, my government made a pledge to improve and expand the Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret. We will honour this pledge this financial year by providing Sh100 million through the supplementary budget," Kibaki said.
The President added that his government would also fund teams to international competitions and improve the sports infrastructure at provincial level.
"I'm aware that in the past, the sports ministry has not been adequately funded due to budgetary constraints. We cannot continue this trend.
"I have, therefore, asked the minister for finance to address this problem and ensure that any team that qualifies to represent Kenya is provided adequate resources," he said.
Access to employment
The chairman of the Kenya Paralympics Committee, Douglas Sidialo, also asked the government to speed up the implementation of the 2003 Disability Act which provides for access to formal employment for up to five percent of people with disabilities.
At Saturday's ceremony, mobile telephone service provider, Safaricom, gave the athletes a total of Sh5.5 million, Equity Bank contributed 1.6 million, while Nakumatt Holdings gave Sh1 million.
Health service provider AAR presented a cheque of Sh450,000, Pisu and Company Limited gave Sh250,000 while the Nairobi Sports House donated Sh100,000 to the athletes' kitty.
Great surprise for us
In a break from the past, guide runners, who assist the totally blind athletes, were rewarded with the guide runner for silver medallist Francis Karanja, Kuria Thuo, pocketing Sh100,000 while bronze medallist Henry Wanyoike's assistant, Joseph Kibunja, was awarded Sh75,000.
"This is a great surprise for us because many times we are forgotten and yet we do the same amount of work as the runners," said Thuo who is also Karanja's brother.
Kirwa won three gold medals in the men's 5,000m of the T13 class, 1,500m (T13) and 10,000m (T12) earning Sh6.03m.
He hopes to use the money to expand his farming activities at his Kabsabet home as he trains for the World Championships next year.
Abraham Cheruiyot Tarbei, who won two gold medals in 1,500m and 5,000, T46 categories, left State House Sh4.02m richer.
The only female athlete medal winner, Mary Nakhumicha Zakayo - who won her medal in the javelin, F57/58 category - received Sh1.2m while Samuel Mushai, who won silver in 1,500 T11 class, also took home Sh1.2m as did Francis Karanja Thuo who took silver in the 5,000m.
Henry Wanyoike won bronze in men's 5,000m, T11, and received Sh655,000.
His wife was on hand to receive the prize for him and his guide runner who remained in Asia to compete in the Singapore Marathon.
Others present at the function included youth and sports minister Hellen Sambili, assistant minister Wavinya Ndeti, permanent secretary Kinuthia Murugu and the paralympics team's chief de' mission Jairus Mogallo.
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