Athletics Kenya has launched Mwanariadha Pension Initiative that seeks to cushion both retired and active athletes upon completion of the sport as a career.
The scheme has two bits; endowment and pension whereby one involves the retirees, while the other is for active athletes.
While acknowledging the challenges, Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei said: “We have heard reports of the deplorable lives our retired athletes live. They deserve some improvement, particularly after bringing a very good name to this country. We must support them in their retirement by improving their standards of living alongside their families.”
Numerous athletes, he said, have either retired or passed on with no compensation of any kind. In addition, many live miserable lives due to a lack of financial literacy and failure to manage the fame that comes with winning international races.
“These funds will even facilitate in the event of death where we will escort them to their last moments,” Tuwei said.
At the same time, he called upon athletes to announce when they throw in the towel to facilitate their transition into the retirees' fund.
Coaches too were not left out as Tuwei announced their inclusion in the plan.
“As an athletics family that’s all-inclusive, even the coaches, who are with the athletes for most of the time, will not been left behind. Trustees will provide guidelines on this.”
Sports CS Ababu Namwamba pledged the government's support to the initiative while calling on corporates to fund the same.
"I am challenging all sporting disciplines and federations to follow suit. My promise to those who will be onboard is the government's full support," he said.
“This could easily be a global first. It is in our manifesto as a government that there's a need to provide a fallback plan for athletes. Athletics is a career with a very short shelf life, with some retiring in their 20s.
"When one gets an injury, it puts you out of action. So having a scheme that offers some fallback is important. We urge all athletes to be a part of this program,” he concluded
