President William Ruto was feted with the prestigious Confederation of African Football (CAF) President’s Outstanding Achievement Award last night, Wednesday, November 19.
Ruto was honoured with the award in absentia at the CAF Awards 2025, with Kenya's Ambassador to Morocco, Jessica Gakinya, receiving the accolade on his behalf.
The award essentially recognises the Kenyan government's dedication to strengthening sports in the African continent through infrastructure and providing a robust support system for athletes.
"The development and growth of African football needs partnerships from countries. Every year, we give recognition to those countries that have partnered with the 54 African members for the development of football," CAF President Patrice Motsepe said during the ceremony.
Ruto's recognition by CAF was always going to be forthcoming, particularly following the government's efforts to upscale the quality of football in Kenya.
One of the more notable achievements by Ruto's regime was the successful co-hosting of the 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN), which saw Kenya host a series of matches, including the final.
In terms of infrastructure, the government has been intent on upgrading stadia across the country, including in counties renowned for churning out talented players from the grassroots level.
Besides the Nyayo Stadium and Moi International Sports Complex, Kasarani, the government also embarked on the Talanta Stadium. This Ksh45 billion arena will have the capability to host at least 60,000 football fans. The stadium, which is 66 per cent done as of November 2025, is expected to be completed by early 2026.
Besides football, the government also made strides in recognising track athletes, particularly because Kenya is arguably the best producer of top talent in that department. In July, Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya revealed a revised framework for rewarding athletes as part of a larger review and enhancement of Kenya's elite athlete support system.
The new reward packages, which include compensation for forgotten athletes, have been backed by the recently revised National Sports Policy and approved by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) in April 2025.
Amid the government's efforts to revamp sports infrastructure, Kenya also successfully won the bid to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which is expected to further elevate the country's status as a sporting powerhouse.
Ruto's East African counterparts, Samia Suluhu (Tanzania) and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, were also recognised during the prestigious CAF awards on Wednesday evening.
