Six more Kenyans have attained the fourth dan in taekwondo, joining the highly skilled ranks in the martial arts sport.
Previously, Kenya had only about eight martial artists with the fourth dan. Graded by Kim Jun Kyu, the only taekwondo judge in Kenya, the six can now be international instructors.
They include Cosmas Mwandiki, 33, Moses Mungai, 36, Paul Muthokia, 35, Kennedy Njoroge Kimemia, 36, Hastings Munai Ngala, 58, and Milka Mildred Akinyi, 35.
Master Ernest Olayo is the only Kenyan who has attained the sixth dan and he is not only the highest in the country so far but also in East Africa. Master Patrick Thimangu, who is based in the United States, is the other sixth dan holder.
Only about three martial artists hold fifth dan in taekwondo in the country. Grandmaster Kim has an eighth-dan degree in taekwondo but the highest degree in taekwondo is the tenth dan.
“This is good for Kenya because it shows development in the sport and discipline,” Kim said.
Speaking in Mombasa, Kim called on the government to invest heavily in sports, saying it is a discipline that develops the body and mind and helps keep diseases away.
“It also helps relieve stress and this is key considering the growing mental health issues in the country,” Kim said. Kim came to Kenya in 1979 when there were very few people in taekwondo.
“Now, taekwondo is in different schools and clubs across the country where our students teach,” Kim said.
There are over 500 instructors and more than 10,000 taekwondo students in Kenya at the moment.
Holders of the first, second and third dan are considered ‘trained students’ and may serve as assistant instructors.
Those holding fourth, fifth and sixth dan are considered to be instructors or masters. The seventh, eighth and ninth dan holders are considered to be grandmasters. This cadre also has an age requirement of 40 years and above.
A tenth dan rank is sometimes awarded posthumously to practitioners with a lifetime of demonstrated contributions to the practice of taekwondo.
According to Kim, their biggest problem has always been financial challenges.
For instance, players are rarely paid and sometimes the instructors have to spend their own money to run the sport.
“Coaches and instructors rarely get paid. They have to do other side jobs to earn a living,” Kim said.
Nairobi Taekwondo Association chair master Voiya Lumwach said lack of funding is the biggest challenge affecting the sport.
He said the government sponsors very few events and are mostly international ones like the All Africa Games qualifiers and the World Championships.
“Build-up matches are not sponsored by the government thus we sometimes take teams to most international events without gauging ourselves."
Lumwach said: “This affects our performances because we compete with people who are more experienced and have had better build-up matches,” Lumwach said.
Despite these setbacks, Lumwach said the sport is very much on course in Kenya.
At the last Olympic Qualifiers, Kenya won the bronze medal.
“We also have two athletes that will represent Kenya in the 2024 Paris Olympics in the para category,” Lumwach said.
He said with more government support, Kenya would match Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, the best teams in the sport in Africa.
“These two teams get much government support and are very experienced,” Lumwach said.
He said as coaches, sometimes they have to dig deep into their own pockets to support players, which is demoralising.
He said for events within the country, the different county associations have to team up to raise the requisite funds to hold the events. He called on corporates in the country to help by sponsoring the sports.
