Saturday, October 12, marked the beginning of a glorious weekend for Kenyans and perhaps one of the best weekends to be a Kenyan.
Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run a sub-two-hour marathon, Kenya was at it again on Sunday, October 12 in Chicago when Brigid Kosgey broke a 16-year-old record in the women's marathon and Lawrence Cherono emerged victorious in the Chicago marathon.
DP William Ruto was in Vienna to cheer Kipchoge into history books as the rest of Kenyans took to social media, the streets to celebrate Kipchoge's feat.
However, the glorious moment also brought to the fore the ugly realities faced by local sportsmen. Jubilee-allied politicians were quick to admit that Kipchoge's triumph had little to do with the administration's investment in sports and as such, equated DP Ruto's presence in Vienna to bathing in the glory of the barely supported athletes.
Uasin Gishu Woman Rep, Gladys Boss Shollei was speaking in a panel on KTN News on Monday, October 14, when she admitted that the Jubilee government had failed to deliver on its promises to sportspeople.
"We have failed on sports matters. For that reason, I am ashamed to be in Jubilee," she admitted.
Shollei went on to describe the poor state of athletics infrastructure in Uasin Gishu County that is DP Ruto's backyard and the contrasting imagery of the deputy president cheering Kipchoge in Vienna.
"Every time I drive out my gate I see them run along the road. The tarmac is not good for their knees, the fumes from vehicles are not good for their lungs," she stated.
"I have had the pleasure of visiting their camps and the problem most of them face is the lack of shoes. It is only when they win that they get free shoes," she added highligting the tokenist appreciation accorded by current and past sports administrators.
Shollei would then revisit DP William Ruto's 2013 election promise of constructing 10 modern stadiums across the country meant to help nurture talent across the country. To date, the promises are yet to fulfilled.
"The DP was at the finish line holding up the Kenyan flag, he did not run to Eliud, he let Kenyans enjoy the moment but we should use him being in Vienna to hold him accountable for the misfortunes of the sports sector," she added.
Ambrose Weda, a panelist at the morning show also expressed his displeasure in leaders associating themselves with the triumphant athletes without what he described as relating to the pain, sacrifice, practice and discipline the athletes put towards their success.
"Seeing how well our leaders unite to celebrate and honour these athletes, how good it will be to see them unite in development," former Mwingi Central MP Joe Mutambu also on the panel, concluded.
