Olympic javelin silver medallist Julius Yego believes delivering a modern stadium will be the best legacy President Uhuru Kenyatta will leave for Kenyan sportsmen and women when he leaves State House in two years.
Yego observed that despite being a major campaign slogan, nothing has come forth and this has greatly affected sportsmen and women, who pegged their hopes on the facilities as promised.
The 2005 world champion said: "I think the government has been making very serious jokes on building and rebuilding them (stadia). I think they are joking with Kenyans. They promised nine stadiums but so far nothing has been done.”
The vocal three-time African champion said the few available stadia are in deplorable state and thus unfit for use by athletes while still inaccessible due to the distances to be covered.
Renovation works have stalled in various stadia including Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, Keino Stadium in Kapsabet, Kamariny Stadium in Iten as well as Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi.
“Those involved in delivering sports infrastructure need to be serious. Sports is currently a big sector in the Kenyan economy, employing thousands of youth, who can do even better with better facilities," added Yego.
"Look at what (Eliud ) Kipchoge did. Tourists are flocking into the country to see what Kenyan athletes do to achieve such big goals. They come with money yet nothing has trickled down to improve the state of our facilities.”
He observed that if President Uhuru made delivering a modern stadium a personal initiative, it will be delivered and the country will have a lot to reap from such, including jobs.
“The best legacy President Uhuru can offer us is a big, modern and well-furnished stadium in North Rift especially Eldoret. If he can do this, then he will forever be remembered by Kenyan sportsmen and women for generations to come,” he said.
“I come from Eldoret and thus have to pay a lot of money to stay and train in Nairobi. I am lucky since I can afford all these but imagine that young man in upcountry who wants to take up javelin as a sport but can’t afford due to lack of facilities. A certified javelin costs more than Sh100,000. Not many can afford,” he observed.
Meanwhile, Yego said his dream of rising to become a great in his discipline lives on as he seeks to upgrade his silver medal from the 2016 Rio Olympics with a title win in Tokyo later this year.
"I am looking forward to the Olympic gold medal, the only medal missing from my cabinet. I have silver yes but I need gold. I went to Rio just after winning the world championships but I have to rebrand and come out as a better athlete after suffering an injury.”
