Kenya has earned medals in the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) world championships. Kenya’s Rugby Team, Shujaa, won the Singapore Sevens Cup making international history and toppling traditional sports giants such as the USA. These successes were received with great pride and celebration in Kenya. The nation gained respect when some of its best players such as MacDonald Mariga, Dennis Oliech, and Victor Wanyama started playing international soccer with differing clubs in Europe. Because Kenya has become a crucial player in international games, Kenyan children enjoy participating in sports as part of their daily lives. Most children at an early age play soccer, which has become an official past time. Young boys enjoy informally organizing and running teams.
School-sponsored sports are an important part of the Kenyan school system. Secondary schools have an organized athletic period between 3:45 to 5:00 pm, which is a standard schedule across schools, allowing students to focus on sports during that time. Competitions start at the sub-county level and go up to national levels. Winners at the national level represent the country in the annual East African Schools Games. These school events encourage the development of different athletic skills. For example, the Kenyan Under 17 Athletics Team gives high school students the opportunity to participate in international games. The school-sponsored games are an avenue for talented students from poor backgrounds to nurture their skills at no cost. Every primary and secondary school in Kenya has dedicated instructors with the necessary skills to train the students in various sports. School programs are the reason why many children from poor backgrounds, like David Rusdisha who holds the 1500 meters world record, were able to develop their skills.
For some children, sports are seen as not only a game but also a potential career path and a way to earn a living. Moja Tu takes this opportunity to nurture athletic talent seriously. Over the holidays, we provided our talented students the ability to attend different training camps. Several of our students trained for a three-week period at one of our partner camps, Balam Elite. We see the importance of athletic talent and how that should blend into the school programs allowing our students to develop not only intellectual capacity but also nurture their talents.