CS Murkomen Out To Silence His Doubters As Kenya Shines In Paris 2024 Olympics
Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen flanked by double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet (Left) and tripple Olympic winner Faith Kipyegon upon Team Kenya arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi from Paris 2024 Olympics.
By Julius Ganerah
Following his appointment as Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sport on July 24, 2024, many cast aspersions on Kipchumba Murkomen’s capabilities to handle the new docket.
Was the man who, in the past 21 months, has been passionately overhauling the roads and transport sector really going to navigate through the murky waters of the Kenyan sports landscape?
Of course, Murkomen’s meteoric rise up the political ladder was always going to be looked at with skepticism, more so after he inherited a docket mired in corruption and stalled projects.
However, an earlier turnaround in the Roads and Transport ministry had suggested he was a man endowed with the leadership acumen needed to make a difference.
His appointment could not have come at a better time than this, a period that Kenya’s sports industry is in dire need of a firebrand that will catapult it to greater heights.
This was proved during the Paris 2024 Olympics when Kenya’s performance on the global stage was lethargic. Evidence of low morale among the athletes during the Summer Games. This was blamed on lack of moral support and leadership starting at the top.
Murkomen wasted no time. Just hours after his swearing-in, he boarded the next plane to Paris to fill the void.
This was rather a very bold move by him, considering that the country was on edge due to austerity measures which President William Ruto had introduced after the Gen Z unrest.
It paid off when Murkomen made the decision to be with the Kenyan athletes in Paris. Not only did the new CS reinvigorate the athletes but he also instilled renewed patriotism and determination among them.
With Murkomen ever-watchful and very vocal, especially on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), the performance of Team Kenya started to soar.
On the last day of the Games, Kenya had scaled up the ladder to 17th on the medal table, topping Africa in the process.
The final medal count read 11—4 gold, 2 silver, and 5 bronze—an improvement from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
From Left: Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen with men’s 800m Olympics champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and race Record Holder David Rudisha during the Paris 2024 Olympics in France.
The triumphs that came from Paris were not merely a question of medals; they were a testament to the power of leadership and the importance of moral support. Murkomen’s presence on the ground proved vital, showing that he is not another bureaucrat but a hands-on leader.
Landing back in Kenya, Murkomen ensured that the athletes got a heroic reception at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, followed by a grand reception and a presidential breakfast at the Eldoret State Lodge.
This was a clear indication that he is determined and committed to making sure that the status of sports in the country takes an upward trajectory and also showing appreciation of the athletes who have raised the country’s flag high.
Looking ahead, CS Murkomen has vowed to invest in the future of Kenyan sports: setting up training facilities, sports academies, and stadia all over the country. Among other things, these would rebound to restoring the glory of Kenya in the sporting arena, thereby setting the stage for even greater things to come in the years ahead.
For now, doubters have been proved wrong. Kipchumba Murkomen is proving that with the right leadership, Kenya’s sports sector can soar to new heights on the world stage.
Julius Ganerah is a sports enthusiast.
