Sport is an important element of Kenyan culture. Various indigenous traditional sports have prevailed in Kenyan culture from its earliest history. Some of the traditional games and sports prevalent in Kenya since antiquity have included wrestling, racing exercises, stick fights, hunting (using spears and arrows), board games, bull fights and dances.Nyaga, L. R. K. (2011). Valued Outcomes in Youth Sport Programs in Kenya: Towards the Government’s Vision 2030. Doctoral Dissertation. Springfield College, Massachusetts, USA. Most modern sports in Kenya owe credit to the British colonisation. Professional teams in form of clubs were organised by colonial British settlers and Asian contractors as early as 1922, before the establishment of formal schools.Kanyiba Nyaga, L. R. (2011). The History of Sports in Kenya. Unpublished Book Manuscript Sports were introduced in schools in 1925. The syllabus for teaching sport through physical training in schools (extracurricular activity) was produced in 1935. Football and athletics (track and field)Nyaga, L. R. K. (2008). Management of middle and long distance elite runners in Kenya. Master’s thesis. Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. respectively were the first sports to be professionally organized. Today, many sports are popular in Kenya, played both professionally and as recreational physical activities. The most popular sport in Kenya is football. Sports played in Kenya today include

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

(track & field and other running events),

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

motor sport Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific terms ''automobile ...

Association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

and

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...

team handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a Handball goalkeeper, goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands ...

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

rounders Rounders is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a wooden, plastic, or metal bat that has a cylindrical end. The players score b ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missile ...

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

bicycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of bicycle pedal, pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the ...

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

(

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

Shotokan karate is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" thr ...

, Goju Ryu karate, Shorin Ryu karate,

kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

, Mantis kenPo and

taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

Lawn Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

Table Tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

, Squash,

Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

Canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...

Chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

, Goal Ball, Horse Riding/Equestrianism,

Polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

Weightlifting Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells, barbells or machines. People engage in weightlifting for a variety of different reasons. These can ...

Wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

Archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...

Roller Sports Roller sports are sports that use human powered vehicles which use rolling either by gravity or various pushing techniques. Typically ball bearings and polyurethane wheels are used for momentum and traction respectively, and are attached to devic ...

Ice Hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

and Mountain Sports – Kenya. Globally, Kenya is mainly known for its dominance in middle-distance and long-distance races.

Athletics (track & field and running events)

Athletics (track and field) was one of the two modern sports (together with football) to be formally organized in Kenya. Kenya has regularly produced

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

and

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

champions in various distance events, especially in 800 m, 1,500 m, 3,000 m steeplechase, 5,000 m, 10,000 m and the marathons. Kenyan athletes (particularly

Kalenjin Kalenjin may refer to: * Kalenjin people of Kenya ** Elgeyo people (Keiyo people) ** Kipsigis people ** Marakwet people ** Nandi people ** Pokot people ** Terik people ** Tugen people ** Sebei people * Kalenjin language Kalenjin may refer t ...

) continue to dominate the world of distance running, although competition from

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

and

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

has reduced this supremacy. Kenya's best-known athletes included the four-time women's

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...

winner and two-time world champion

Catherine Ndereba Catherine Nyambura Ndereba (born 21 July 1972) is a retired Kenyan marathon runner. Between 2003 and 2008, she finished in the top two in five successive global championship marathons. Ndereba has twice won the marathon at the World Championshi ...

, former

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

world record-holder

Paul Tergat Paul Kibii Tergat (born 17 June 1969) is a Kenyan former professional long-distance runner. He became the first Kenyan man to set the world record in the marathon in 2003, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished l ...

, and

John Ngugi John Ngugi Kamau (born 10 May 1962) is a former Kenyan long-distance runner, often called one of the greatest cross country runners of all time and winner of the 5000 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics, in Seoul, South Korea. Career Born in Ki ...

. The question of why Kenyans are so dominant in distance running has given rise to various explanations involving topography, or bone structure, or diet.

Track events

Retired Olympic and Commonwealth Games champion

Kipchoge Keino Kipchoge Hezekiah Keino is a retired Kenyan track and field athlete. He was the chairman of the Kenyan Olympic Committee (KOC) until 29 September 2017. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Keino was among the first in a long line of successful m ...

helped usher in Kenya's ongoing distance dynasty 1970s and was followed by Commonwealth Champion

Henry Rono Henry Rono (12 February 1952 – 15 February 2024) was a Kenyan track and field athlete who specialised in various long-distance running events. Although he never competed at the Olympics, Rono is remembered as one of the most prolific collegia ...

's string of world record performances. Kenya won several medals during the Beijing Olympics, 6 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze, making it Africa's most successful Nation in the 2008 Olympics. New athletes gained attention, such as

Pamela Jelimo Pamela Jelimo (born 5 December 1989) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner, specialising in the 800 metres. She won the gold medal in 800 metres at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing at the age of 18. She is the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic gold ...

, the women's 800m gold medalist who went ahead to win the Golden League jackpot, and

Samuel Wanjiru Samuel Kamau Wanjiru (10 November 1986 – 15 May 2011) was a Kenyan long-distance runner who won the 2008 Beijing Olympics Marathon in an Olympic record time of 2:06:32; becoming the first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold in the marathon. He beca ...

who won the men's marathon.

Field events

Julius Yego Julius Yego (born 4 January 1989) is a Kenyan track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. Nicknamed "Mr. YouTube" because he learned how to throw by watching YouTube videos of javelin athletes, Yego is the African record holder f ...

became the first Kenyan field athlete to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games when he won the

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon. Today, the javelin is predominantly used for sporting purposes such as the javelin throw. The javelin is nearly always thrown by hand, unlike the sling ...

title at the 2014 event in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

(fellow Kenyan John Makaya had taken a bronze in the same event forty years earlier at the 1974 Commonwealths in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

). The following year he took Kenya's first World Championship gold in the field at the

2015 World Championships in Athletics The 2015 IAAF World Championships ( zh, 第十五届世界田径锦标赛), the fifteenth edition of the IAAF World Championships, were held from 22 to 30 August at the National Stadium in Beijing, China. Forty-three nations won medals, 144 of ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, where he set a new Commonwealth record of 92.72m on his way to victory.

Cross country

Kenyan runners have dominated the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in the past quarter century, maintaining with Ethiopia a stranglehold on the event; from 1986 to 2011, the last year the race was held annually, the Kenyan men's team won 24 world championships, including 18 in a row until Ethiopia won in 2004–05. The junior men's team won 23 titles since 1988, and the women's team has won four straight since 2009. Kenya's junior women have won 15 world championships. Five times – in 1991 (Belgium), 1993 (Spain), 1995 (United Kingdom), 1996 (South Africa) and 2010 (Poland) – Kenya had the champions in the men's and women's senior and junior races. Only three Kenyan men have won individual world cross country titles in the men's division, and two of them won multiple crowns.

became the first man to win the world championship five times (1986–89, 1992). Countryman

became the first man to win five times in a row (1995–1999). Edith Masai won the 4-kilometer women's short race three consecutive times (2003–2004).

Marathons

Runners from Kenya have run seven of the 10 fastest times for 26.2 miles. They have also been among the most consistent winners in the

World Marathon Majors The World Marathon Majors (WMM) sponsored by Abbott Laboratories is a championship-style competition for marathon runners that started in 2006. A points-based competition founded on seven major marathon races recognised as the most high-profile o ...

: Boston, New York, London, Berlin, Chicago and Tokyo. An unusual number of marathon winners are

Boston Marathon

Ibrahim Hussein won the first of his three Boston Marathon victories in 1988, less than a year after winning the

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon, currently branded as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 fini ...

. Hussein would have back-to-back victories at Boston in 1991–92. Kenyan men broke the tape at the Boston Marathon 20 times since 1988, including 10 times in a row from 1991 to 2000. Kenyan women have 10 victories at Boston, four of them by one woman. The notable winners: *

Cosmas Ndeti Cosmas Ndeti (born 24 November 1971) is a three-time winner of the Boston Marathon. He was the winner of the 1993, 1994, and 1995 races. He set the course record in 1994 with a time of 2:07:15, which was also the best marathon performance in 199 ...

, who won three in a row from 1993–95, running a course record 2:07:15 in 1994; *

Moses Tanui Moses Tanui (born 20 August 1965 in Sugoi, Nandi District, Kenya) is a former Kenyan long-distance runner who won the gold medal over 10,000 metres at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo. Biography At the 1993 World Championships ...

, a two-time winner in 1996 and 1998; *

Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot Robert "Mwafrika" Kipkoech Cheruiyot (born 26 September 1978 in Kapsabet, Kenya), sometimes known as Omar Ahmed, is a Kenyan marathon runner and is the former record holder and four-time winner of the Boston Marathon. Early career Cheruiyot t ...

, whose four victories (2003, 2006–08) make him and Bill Rodgers the race's only four-time winners in the men's division; *

, the only four-time winner in the women's open division; *

Geoffrey Mutai Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai (born 7 October 1981) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. On 18 April 2011 at the Boston Marathon, Mutai ran the fastest marathon ever at the time in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes ...

, whose 2:03:02 winning time in 2011 is the fastest marathon time ever.
Rita Jeptoo
who won in 2013 before the attack

New York City Marathon

Hussein's win in the New York City Marathon in the fall of 1987 was the first by a runner of African descent in the event. Three years later,

Douglas Wakiihuri Douglas Wakiihuri (born September 26, 1963, in Mombasa) is a former Kenyan long-distance runner, who won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome. No other male Kenyan runner had ever won the marathon at ...

won the race that begins in Staten Island and goes through Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx, ending in Manhattan's Central Park. Kenyan men won the race eight more times, and Kenyan women

six 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...

in the open division. Among them: * John Kagwe, winner of back-to-back titles (1997–98); *

Tegla Loroupe Tegla Chepkite Loroupe (born 9 May 1973) is a former Kenyan long-distance track and road runner. She is also a global spokeswoman for peace, women's rights and education. Loroupe holds the world records for 25 and 30 kilometers and previousl ...

, who won in 1994 and repeated as champion the following year; *

Martin Lel Martin Kiptolo Lel (born 29 October 1978) is a Kenyan professional long distance and marathon runner. He won the London Marathon in 2005, 2007, and 2008, the New York City Marathon in 2003 and 2007 and the Great North Run in 2007 and 2009. His ...

, whose victories in New York came four years apart (2003, 2007); * Geoffrey Mutai, the fastest marathoner ever, who set a course record (2:05:06) in winning the 2011 race; * Margaret Okayo, whose victories in 2001 and 2003 were course records.

London Marathon

Douglas Wakiihuri won the race in 1989; it would be 15 years before another Kenyan,

Evans Rutto Evans Rutto (born 8 April 1978 in Marakwet District) is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specialises in road running events. He made the fastest-ever marathon debut by winning the 2003 Chicago Marathon in a time of 2:05:50. He won the London Ma ...

, won in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Martin Lel has three victories in the event and set a course record of 2:05:15 in 2008.

Mary Keitany Mary Jepkosgei Keitany (born 18 January 1982) is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner. She was the world record holder in a women-only marathon, having won the 2017 London Marathon in a time of 2:17:01. As of November 2022, she ...

won back to back titles in 2011–12.

Chicago Marathon

The

Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a road marathon held in October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the seven World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is one of the largest races by number of fini ...

was first held in 1977. Runners from Kenya have won the men's open division 12 times, including nine in a row from 2003 to 2011. *

(2003–04) and the late

(2009–10) repeated as champions during that period. *

Joyce Chepchumba Joyce Chepchumba (born 6 November 1970 in Kericho) is a long distance athlete from Kenya, who won a bronze medal in marathon at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Achievements *1995 ** Tilburg Ten Miles winner ** Parelloop 10Kwinner Arrs.netLi ...

(1998–99) won consecutive titles in the women's open division; Catherine Ndereba won in 2000 and repeated in 2001 with a world women's record (2:18.47).

Berlin Marathon

Kenyan men have won the past three

Berlin Marathon The Berlin Marathon (, ) is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of , including elite level road r ...

races (as of 2012) and 12 overall, including seven victories in a row from 1999 to 2005.

Patrick Makau Musyoki Patrick Makau Musyoki (born 2 March 1985) is a runner from Kenya. He is a former world record holder in the marathon—His time of 2:03:38, run at the 2011 Berlin Marathon, was the world record for two years, until it was beaten by Wilson Kipsan ...

won in consecutive years in 2010 and 2011, the latter in a world-record time of 2:03:38.

Tokyo Marathon

The newest of the World Marathon Majors, the first

Tokyo Marathon The is an annual marathon sporting event in Tokyo, Japan. It is a World Athletics Platinum Label marathon and one of the seven World Marathon Majors. The latest edition of the race took place on . It is sponsored by Tokyo Metro. History The fi ...

was held in 2007. Daniel Njenga won the inaugural race in 2:09:45. Kenyan runners have won the race four times, including the 2013 champion

Dennis Kimetto Dennis Kipruto Kimetto (born 22 January 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in road running events. He was the world record holder in the men's marathon with a time of 2 hours 2 minutes 57 seconds, a record which he held until Eli ...

, who set a course record (2:06:50).

Olympic games

Samuel Wanjiru became the first Kenyan to become an Olympic champion in the marathon when he ran an Olympic Games record 2:06:32 to win the gold medal in

in 2008. * Douglas Wakiihuri would win the country's first marathon medal, a silver at the 1988 games in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

Erick Wainaina Erick Wainaina (born December 19, 1973, in Nyahururu) is a Kenyan marathon runner, who won an Olympic bronze medal in 1996 and a silver medal in 2000. He finished seventh in the 2004 Summer Olympics marathon in Athens, making him one of the few ...

won two medals, a bronze at the 1996 games in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

and a silver at the 2000 games in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. * Catherine Ndereba would win consecutive silver medals in the women's marathon, in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

(2004) and Beijing (2008).

Change of nationality

Lately, there has been controversy in Kenyan athletics circles, with the defection of a number of Kenyan athletes to represent other countries, chiefly

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

and

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

.IAAF
Changes of Allegiance 1998 to 2005
/ref> The Kenyan Ministry of Sports has tried to stop the defections, but they have continued anyway, with

Bernard Lagat Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat (born December 12, 1974) is a Kenyan-American former Middle-distance running, middle and long-distance running, long-distance runner. Lagat was born in Kapsabet, Kenya. Prior to his List of eligibility transfers in at ...

the latest, choosing to represent the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Most of these defections occur because of economic or financial factors however some elite Kenyan runners who cannot qualify for their country's strong national team also find it easier to qualify by running for other countries.

Ball sports

Association football

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

is a popular spectator sport in Kenya. Kenya was a regional power in football, but its dominance has been eroded by wrangles within the

Kenya Football Federation Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the List of countries and dependencies by population, 27th-most-populous country in ...

. This led to a suspension by

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

which was lifted in March, 2007. Football in Kenya is currently controlled by the

Football Kenya Federation The Football Kenya Federation (abbreviated as Football Kenya or FKF) is the governing body of football in Kenya. The FKF organizes the Kenyan Premier League, the Kenyan Women's Premier League, FKF Division One, FKF Women Division One and Ken ...

. Kombii Betty Nanjalah one of the founders of Mathere Youth Sports Association (MYSA) – Kenya, First trip to Norway in 1991, with a group of 16 players who were from the streets of Nairobi. Trained as Football Referee.

Rugby union

Kenya is making a name for itself in

. It is popular in Kenya especially with the annual Safari Sevens tournament. Kenya sevens team ranked 9th in IRB Sevens World Series for the 2006 season. see also: * Rugby union in Kenya * Kenya Rugby Football Union *

Kenya national rugby union team The Kenya national rugby union team, commonly known as the Simbas (Swahili for ''lions''), is the country's national team managed by the Kenya Rugby Union. The team plays in ''red'', ''green'', and ''black'' jerseys with ''black'' or ''white' ...

* Kenya women's national rugby union team * Kenya national rugby sevens team *

Rugby Football Union of East Africa The Rugby Football Union of East Africa (RFUEA) is an umbrella union for the Kenya Rugby Football Union, Tanzania Rugby Football Union and Uganda Rugby Football Union. It owes its existence to the fact that, prior to independence, Kenya, Tanz ...

East Africa rugby union team Established in 1950, the East Africa rugby union team is a multi-national rugby union team drawing players from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania; however, the vast majority of these came from Kenya, which has traditionally been the strongest rugby pla ...

* Rugby league in Kenya

Volleyball

Kenya has also been a dominant force in ladies'

within Africa, with Kenyan clubs winning 13

African Championships An African Championship is a top level international sports competition between Africa, African athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports club, sports clubs. List of championships ;Athletics * African ...

, and the national team leading the continental championship with 9 titles since 1991. The women's team has also competed at the Olympics and

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

but without any notable success.

Basketball

Basketball is a popular sport in Kenya, especially among the youth. The country has traditionally been home to several successful players of the US-based

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

, which is widely considered the world's strongest basketball league for College and University students. Notable players there include ''Joel Awich'' (Cal Poly), ''Tylor Ongwae'' (LA-Monroe) and ''Tom Wamukota'' (Wichita State). Yet, the number of Kenyans who play professionally for top teams in Europe and Asia is still low. Kenya's national team had its best years between the mid-80s and the mid-90s when it qualified for the African Basketball Championship several times and even reached the Final Four in

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

when Nairobi hosted the event. In January 2021,

Liz Mills Liz Mills is an Australian basketball coach who, since 2011, has coached elite level men's club and national basketball teams in Africa. Mills is the former head coach of Bangui Sporting Club for the 2023 Road to BAL (Basketball Africa League) ...

took over Kenya's men's national team. Led by Mills, Kenya qualified for their first AfroBasket championship in 28 years. At the AfroBasket 2021 qualification, Kenya beat 11-time African champions

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

for the first time in history. At th
2021 FIBA AfroBasket
Kenya finished 9th out of 16 teams.

Cricket

Cricket is another popular and the most successful team sport.

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

has competed in the

Cricket World Cup The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup is a quadrennial world cup for cricket in One Day International (ODI) format, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The tournament is one of the world's most viewed sporting events and consid ...

since

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

. They upset some of the world's best teams and reached semi-finals of the 2003 tournament. They also won the inaugural World Cricket League Division 1 hosted in Nairobi and participated in the World T20. As of January 2018, their captain is Rakep Patel.

Field Hockey

Field hockey is also played in Kenya. The

Kenya men's national field hockey team The Kenya men's national field hockey team represents Kenya in men's international field hockey competitions and is controlled by the Kenya Hockey Union.Kenya Hockey UnionAfrica Cup/ref> Kenya had its best Hockey World Cup result in 1971 when ...

had its best Hockey World Cup result in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

, when it finished fourth. Roshan Ali

The team also participated in the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

seven times, finishing 6th in 1964. The home venue of the team is the City Park Hockey Stadium in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

. The hockey sport in Kenya is overseen by the Kenya Hockey Union (KHU).

Lacrosse

As of April 2021, Kenya has been one of four African members of the rapidly growing international federation for lacrosse.South African Lacrosse Becomes 69th Member Nation of World Lacrosse
''US Lacrosse Magazine'', 15 April 2021. Accessed 20 April 2021. For the first time, Kenya will feature a national team at the 2022

Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships The World Lacrosse Men's U20 Championship and World Lacrosse Women's U20 Championship, formerly Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships (U-19), are held separately for men and women every four years to award world championships for the under-19 age gr ...

Baseball

The Baseball Federation of Kenya (BFK) and Kenya Little League (KLL) has been promoting baseball in Kenya since 1992 and 2010 respectively. The sport was flourishing in the 90s before slowing down in the 2000s. Kenya has previously participated in the All Africa Games, the Kenko games in Zambia, and the World children's Baseball fair in Japan (4 times). Kenya hosted the World Cup U18 Africa Qualifiers at the Meru university of Science and Technology (MUST) from Dec 15–20, 2014. The sport is popular in Nairobi, Meru, Migori and Makueni. It is played in schools both Primary and Secondary, Colleges and Universities led by MUST. Solomon Gacece has been the long-serving chairman and with George Mahinda as the Secretary General. The Kenya little League was chartered with Little League Baseball in Williamsport, PA, USA in 2010 and has been active in Meru before spreading to Nairobi and Mombasa. Currently about 24 Counties have baseball with Meru County reputing itself as the home of Baseball in Africa. Baseball is picking up in the Eastern African countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Rwanda. The annual East Africa championships were held for the first time in Migori and expected to be held again. Kenya participated at the Olympics in Japan in 2020.

Softball

The Kenya Little League is promoting softball in addition to baseball in areas like Meru, Nairobi and Mombasa with Nairobi being the other softball hotspot. Softball Federation of Kenya is promoting the sport especially at the universities.

Motor sports

Motor sports Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific terms ''automobile ...

in Kenya are governed by th
Kenya Motor Sport Federation
(KMSF)
KMSF
is affiliated to various world motor sports governing bodies including the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) that governs motorcycle racing, and the Federation of International Automobile (FIA) an association that oversees motoring organizations, motor car users, and organizes World Rally Championships (WRC).

Rallying

The first professional motor sport in Kenya, the East African Coronation Safari was organized in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation on June 2, 1953. The annual rally was renamed the East African Safari Rally from 1954 to 1975 and the

Safari Rally The Safari Rally is an automobile rally held in Kenya. It was first held in 1953 as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The event was part of the World Rally Championship from 1973 until 2002, before returning in 2021. It is h ...

from 1975 to date. The 13-stage

was included in the inaugural FIA organized World Rally Championships (WRC) as the fourth round of the 13 rounds that comprised the

WRC WRC may refer to: Broadcasting stations * WRC-TV, a television station (virtual channel 4, digital channel 34) licensed to Washington, D.C., United States * Several radio stations in the Washington, D.C. area: ** WWRC, a radio station (570 AM) l ...

rally season in 1973. Ian Duncan is the only Kenyan to ever win a WRC round, the

in 1994. The African Rally Championship (ARC) is a regional body of FIA and runs an annual rally season with eight rounds in eight countries (

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

, and Madagascar) from March to November, except in October. The

was acknowledged as one of the toughest rallies in the world. The Kenyan legend, Shekhar Mehta/Nissan won the ARC inaugural season (1981) while Davis Horsey/Peugeot was the last Kenyan to win ARC in 1984. Locally, the Kenya National Rally Champion is selected from the points accumulated in several Kenya Commercial Bank, KCB sponsored rounds. Ian Duncan is the 2011 KNR Champion. Patrick Njiru/David Williamson was the first African driver to win the Kenya National Rally Championship . He raced competitively last in 2002 before retiring from competitive racing. Njiru however continued to organize and participate in charity races. Ian Duncan is the most successful rally drivers in Kenya that continues to feature in various motor races to date. His Résumé is as follows: 1) The only Kenyan to win a WRC round (the 42nd Trust Bank Safari Rally, 1994), 2) He has won Kenyan Rally Championship six times (1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 2000, and 2011), 3) He won the East African Classic Safari Rally in 2009 (racing in the same race in November, 2011), 4) He has won Guru Nanak Rally Championship 11 times, and 5) He won the Motorsport personality of the year 2010! Prominent Kenyan-born legend drivers at the WRC series: Joginder Singh (rally driver), Joginder Singh (1973–1980), Shekhar Mehta (1973–1987), Patrick Njiru (1983–1998), and Ian Duncan (1983–1999). Other significant rally drivers in Kenya today: Carl Tundo, Azar Anwar, Lee Rose (rally driver), Lee Rose, Jas Mangat, and Ben Muchemi. Some of the Kenya National Rally Championship, KNRC two-wheel drivers: James Kirimi, Patrick Kibara, Joe Muchiri, Adnan Suhail, and Niaz Bashir.

Motocross

In Kenya, motocross has the largest athlete pool among all motor sports. There are six categories in motocross: MX50, MX65, MX85, MX125, MX2, and the open class, MX1. Some of elite Kenya Motocross riders include Shivam Vinayak, Charles Mugo, Cruze Muigai, Anthony Nielsen, Mohammed Anwar, and Tutu Maina. Shivam is the most decorated motocross rider in Kenya with titles such as the MXI National Champion, FIM Central African Motocross Champion, and the Kenyan Motorcycle Cross-Country Champion. On August 28, 2011 during FIM Africa Motocross Championship in Harare, Zimbabwe, Kenya was represented by three riders (Tutu Maina (MX125), Dekker Kihara (MX50), and Rolf Kihara (MX65) and finished 4th out of the six countries represented. In October 14–16, 2011, Kenya hosted the FIM Africa Cross Country Bike and All-terrain vehicle, Quad Team Championships in the sceni
Soysambu Conservancy in Nakuru

Enduros and cross country

Kenya has annual Enduro championships such as National Enduro Championship, JCB/Ganatra Plant and Equipment Cross Country Rally Challenge. Kenya also takes part in the FIM Africa Enduro Championships. Shivam Vinayak is one of the Kenya's most elite Enduro biker who also doubles up in motocross. Enduro championships also attract the four-wheeler quad bikes also known as All Terrain Vehicles (All-terrain vehicle, ATV) with elite riders such as the defending champion Shazar Anwar, Murage Waigwa, Abid Ganatra, and Gurraj Singh. Enduro also welcomes Dunebuggy, Buggy Racing attracting some experienced rallying drivers such as Ian Duncan and Samir Khan.

Autocross

Both rally cars and buggies compete in Autocross in Kenya. The major championship is the National Autocross Championship. Keith Henrie is the 2011 National Autocross champion. Other autocross athletes in Kenya include Charles Mugo, Samir Khan Kenya, Samir Khan, and Rajbir Rai. Rally drivers such as the legend Ben Muchemi and his compatriots Stella Macharia and Onkar Rai often participate in Autocross challenge.

Grand Prix karting

This is the last category of motor racing in Kenya. The Kenya
Grand Prix Karting
uses go-karts for leisure races, a 500m race. The Karting organizers welcomes individuals, corporate, and schools to various competitions. Karting in Kenya however mainly focus fun and motor race experience.

Water sports

Swimming and diving

Kenya has achieved great success in swimming considering it is an individual sport.

Canoeing

Competitive Canoe-kayak activities started in Kenya under the Kenya Rowing and Canoe Association, after affiliation to the International Canoe federation (ICF) in 2003 after Seifudin Patwa attended the ICF headquarters in 2003 in Madrid, Spain.

Rowing

Rowing was founded in Kenya during the colonial period with the founding of Mombasa Rowing Club in the 1930s in Liwatoni, Mombasa. This Club functioned as mainly a social club with occasional competitions with visiting Naval ships mainly British Navy, later with Kenya Navy however, the Club and rowing activities closed down in 1991 due to a land dispute with the neighbouring Fishing Company. Interest was again revived in early 1995 with the formation of Kenya Rowing Association, the national Body in charge, founded by Seifudin Patwa and Alisdair Macdonald, which was affiliated to the International Rowing federation (FISA) and National Olympic Committee and rowing activities restarted in the Tudor Creek, Mombasa. Rowing Interest was revived within Kenya Navy while Mombasa Rowing Club relocated to Tudor Creek. In 2000, The Rowing team competed for the first time outside Kenya in the 4th Africa Rowing Championships in Pretoria South Africa with 8 rowers, all from Kenya Navy. In 2003, Canoeing was added as an activity to the national federation which then became Kenya Rowing and Canoe Association having been affiliated to International Canoe Federation(ICF) in the same year. In 2003, Kenya qualified for the first time in the Rowing for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games in Single Scull category through Ibragim Githiga, a Kenya Navy soldier. Although his final result was not very good, it was a good step for the development of rowing in Kenya. Kenya further qualified gain in Single scull category in Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

Shooting sports

Target shooting

Although Kenya has sent shooters to the Olympic Games since 1956 (with interruptions), the discipline has remained a minority sport. Since the 1970s, Kenya's shooters are now distributed among approximately half African and half Indian. Famous past champions and Olympians are rifle shooter John Harun Mwau (now politician) and pistol shooter Shuaib Adam. The first Kenyan female ISSF shooter has now been seen abroad at the Commonwealth Games 2010 and the African Games 2011. The sport suffers from underfunding, lack of clubs, lack of coaches and an outdated firearms law, but has a modern range in Nairobi, and significant grass-roots talent that is not yet properly developed.

Archery

In Kenya archery has been practiced traditionally. It has been used in hunting, war and sports. In 2002 the Kenya association of archers was opened to cater for the growing problem of a platform where archers could compete in international sports. This also came with the formation of the Kenyan team of archers.

Mountain sports

Mountain sport is the newest sport in

. It is a combined sport-related individual and team challenges including distance running, Ropes Course, High Ropes Course, Mountain climbing, Mountain Climbing and Abseiling, all done in the Jungle. Th
Mt. Kenya School of Adventure and Leadership
(KESAL) held the inaugural Mountain Sports on October 22, 2011. The winners for the inaugural event were Benard Waweru – Men's 21 km Senior Jungle Race while the Senior Women's 21 km was won by the elite road runner Pauline Wangui. Sammy Ndungu won the Sky Marathon and The Kenya Methodist University (KEMU) won the Extreme Adventure title. See Mountain Sport-Kenya page for more details.

Other individual sports

Boxing

Philip Waruinge, Waruinge Nakayama is one of Kenya's foremost boxers. Born Philip Warunige, he changed his name as a result of moving to Japan. Wairunge won a silver medal as a Bantamweight in the 1972 Summer Olympics at Munich, Germany as an amateur, before embarking on a professional career that saw him almost crown himself a world champion, losing twice, for the World Boxing Council, WBC's world Super-Bantamweight title to Rigoberto Riasco and, later on, for the same organization's Bantamweight one, to Carlos Zarate Serna, Carlos Zarate. He also won the Japanese national Super-Bantamweight professional boxing championship.

Cycling

The Kenyan-born cyclist Chris Froome emerged in the early 2010s as one of the top road racing cyclists in the world, breaking through with runner-up finishes at the 2011 Vuelta a España, 2011 Vuelta a Espana and 2012 Tour de France before winning a bronze medal in the Cycling at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's road time trial, time trial at the 2012 Olympics and the 2013 Tour de France, becoming the first African-born rider to win the race. Froome rode as a Kenyan before switching his nationality to represent the United Kingdom before the 2008 Tour de France. He took his second Tour win in 2015 Tour de France, 2015 and a third the 2016 Tour de France, following year, followed by another time trial bronze at the Cycling at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's road time trial, 2016 Olympics. Froome was mentored by Kenyan professional cyclist David Kinjah in his early years. A Kenyan cycling team, the Kenyan Riders, was founded in 2009 by Singaporean photographer Nicholas Leong after seeing Kenyan runners dominate the Singapore Marathon. In 2016 the Kenyan Riders merged with Pro Team Downunder to form , the first UCI Continental team to be registered in East Africa. René van Velhuijzen promotes a 1000 km Safari Oriented bicycle tour, thus drawing mountain bikers to Kenya for a life enriching experience
The Kenya Bicycle Safari.

Roller sports

Roller sports, mainly skating in Kenya are governed the Roller Sports Kenya Federation (RSKF). The federation was founded in 1997 and organizes various race categories such as roller speed skating, roller hockey, aggressive skating, and freestyle skating. KSKF is affiliated to the International Roller Sports Federation. The federation races/activities mainly take place at Moi International Sports Centre, Moi International Sports Complex, Kasarani. There are 3 to 4 competitions every annually including the federation held its nationals, held in Bomet, Rift Valley Province, Rift Valley (2011). See also: * FIRS Official Websit

National sports organization

The Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts represents the highest organ in structural organization of sports in Kenya. The minister for sports implements policies on sports development, and debates sports bills in parliament. The commissioner of sports, within the Ministry of Sports acts as the government advisor on sports matters, drawing and evaluating policies, and maintaining standards within the Sport Department. Every district has a representation of government by Government Sports Officers. The Kenya National Sports Council is formed by elected members from all sports in Kenya to ensure equity in development, promotion, and representation of all sports at all major competitions, national and international among other duties. Th
National Olympic Committee of Kenya
(NOCK) prepares Kenyan athletes for the Olympics and works with other sports bodies in developing and promoting sports in the country.

Collegiate sports organization

Kenya Universities Sports Association is the governing body for Colleges and Universities Sports in Kenya.

Scholastic sports organization

Kenya Primary Schools Sports Association (KPSSA) and Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association are the governing bodies for sports in primary schools (class 1 to 8) and secondary schools (form 1 to 4)

Youth sports

The raise of youth sports organizations in Kenya followed the failure physical education in schools. The first youth sport program, Mathare Youth Sports Association was formed in 1987. Since then, government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and multilateral groups such as the UN, have continued to establish youth sport programs in densely populated urban areas giving the majority of Kenyan children opportunity to participate in sports.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sport In Kenya Sport in Kenya,