With the passing on of former President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the sports fraternity is mourning the leader better known as Sportsman Number One.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, Athletics Kenya and National Olympic Committee of Kenya yesterday led the sports sector in mourning Moi who set up the foundation for sports prosperity.
Amina said: “Former President Moi made tremendous contribution to the growth of Sports, Arts and Culture across the country. He was at the forefront in developing sports facilities from the scratch and improving the existing ones. He helped in the monumental growth of the sports sector through the world class facilities he oversaw like Moi Stadium, Kasarani and Nyayo among many other infrastructure across the country. The former President also had the foresight to ensure enough land was set aside for development of sports facilities in the future.”
AK president Jackson Tuwei said the former President dearly loved sports hence the two existing best sports stadia we have in Nairobi were built during his reign and are a testament to the passion he had for sports.
“As a person who worked all his life for the unity of the people of Kenya, Moi found sports to be the greatest unifying factor hence went out of his way to support it,” he noted.
Tuwei added: “The support former President Moi gave the athletics fraternity is immeasurable. Like the current government, Moi went out of his way to ensure the athletics team were given the requisite support and were comfortable whenever they represented the country in international assignments.”
He said the former President also supported the disciplined forces to take part in sports and especially athletics. “These institutions have supported the lives of many athletes even after their retirement. Such initiatives have encouraged many youths to take up sports with the hope of eventually getting an opportunity to serve in the country forces,” read the AK statement.
Tuwei said it was the former President who ordered universities to affiliate to AK in a bid to improve their fitness levels and despite being part of AK, he challenged them to take it a notch higher in honour of Mzee Moi.
Similar condolence messages came from the NOC-K. “Mzee Moi was a true supporter of sports and of the Olympic movement, and was always at the forefront in supporting our teams to the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and other international competitions, right from our nation’s independence in 1963,” read NOC-K condolence message.
NOC-K said this being an Olympic year, they will work hard to pay fitting tribute to Mzee Moi’s contribution to the development of Kenyan sport by making sure the teams are prepared adequately and perform exceptionally well at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in July and August.
“The country’s successful hosting of the fourth All-Africa Games in 1987 was thanks to Mzee. Mzee Moi himself was a true sportsman, playing football with the parliamentary side, Bunge FC, in 1960s alongside Cabinet colleagues Tom Mboya, Bruce McKenzie and Robert Ouko, among others,” added the NOC-K statement.
