Sports Personality of the Year Awards yesterday received Sh16m boost from Safaricom ahead of the event planned for January 24 in Mombasa.
This will be the 16th edition of the event and the company’s chief of strategy officer Joe Ogutu yesterday lauded the awards' leadership over the years.
Ogutu said Safaricom is proud of Soya founder and patron Paul Tergat’s leadership and confessed it is the reason they have partnered with them over the years.
“I must commend Tergat and his team for their well-structured and good leadership of the Soya awards. No one wouldn’t love to work and be associated with such a team. It is another season and we are once again excited and looking forward to celebrating the best of our sportsmen and women,” said Ogutu.
He added: "I am impressed with the diversity in the awards. It is encouraging to see young girls and boys from the different sports grabbing awards and this shows how competitive our sportsmen and women are."
Tergat, who is also the president of National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK), said this has been a good year for Kenyan sportsmen and women and he is looking forward to celebrate them all in Mombasa.
“I am very grateful to Safaricom for coming on board once again to support the event.
"Soya would not have grown in the leaps and bounds over the years if you (Safaricom) didn't have trust in the vision and leadership.
“2019 has been a tough but good year for Kenyan athletes and teams and time to celebrate these achievements is fast approaching. I know the panel of judges will have a hard time in the process,” noted Tergat.
Soya panel of judges chairman Bismarck Mutahi lauded Tergat for the platform to recognise and celebrate sporting achievements, and Safaricom for the continued partnership.
