What about us? Amputee footballers cry over government neglect

For Nicholas Keiyo, an amputee footballer, carrying the national flag to an international competition is no mean feat.

It is even more agonising when you have to contend with the ordinary challenges of going to such an international event without the proper playing kits and necessary facilitation due to lack of support from the government.

Keiyo, who is the national team captain, vividly remembers the scenes at the 2018 Amputee World Cup finals in Mexico where they had to play their matches with jerseys donated by former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko.

As the team now prepares for the continental tournament set for Tanzania next month, calls are being made to the Ministry of Sports to put more focus on the game just like other sporting activities in the country.

Keiyo says the team has over the years not received the same treatment that other sports disciplines get from the government.

“You can imagine participating in an international event and playing with jerseys branded Sonko…what an embarrassment!” Keiyo reminisces.

This disclosure has opened the lid on a myriad of challenges that amputee footballers in the country have had to grapple with.

Familiar script

The story of Keiyo, and those of his teammates in the national team, is of determination driven by passion in the face of abandonment.

They claim they have been neglected for long despite sterling performances. This has forced them to search for opportunities in oversea countries where they say their concerns are well catered for unlike in their homeland.

Keiyo, who plays for Turkish club Etimesgut FC, says the team has defied odds to qualify for international tournaments and raise the country’s flag, which has earned them praise. 

“In all the tournaments that we have participated in, we have proven to perform much better than even the national football team Harambee Stars,” he says. 

He notes that while there are many great talents that need to be nurtured, it has been impossible to do so without proper structures in place.

Keiyo maintains that the absence of leagues right from the county to the national level has dashed the hopes of players with physical challenges.

Unlike what has been done in nurturing talents in volleyball, football, athletics, including the Paralympics team that competed in the recently concluded Paralympic Games in Tokyo, little efforts have been directed by the government to address the plight of amputee footballers.

Stigma in sports

The captain, who was the third-highest goal scorer at the 2018 World Cup, believes the lack of support is partly due to the stigma associated with people with disabilities.  

He adds that their issues have been neglected despite numerous informal and formal pleas to the relevant authorities.

Keiyo suggests that members of the National Assembly representing persons with disabilities should take up the matter and follow it to a fruitful conclusion.

“We have many talents in the grassroots which need to be tapped but it is sad we are not being valued and accorded support compared to other disciplines, which is demoralising. We should be recognised and treated like other sportsmen and women,” he says.

Lack of funding, he points out, has also been a major obstacle to the acquisition of specialised training grounds and equipment including,  professional trainers.

Currently, there are four professional footballers playing in various top leagues in Turkey, a country he says values amputee football unlike Kenya.

With the team now eyeing the continental championship in Tanzania next month ahead of the World cup in August next year, Keiyo’s only prayer is the government accords them the necessary support. 

With the dwindling fortunes of the national football team, Harambee Stars, he argues that it is time stakeholders shift their focus to amputee football in search of national glory.

In the midst of all these challenges, the team has twice managed to represent the country at the World Cup in Mexico in 2014 and 2018 where they finished at position 12 out of the 24 teams in the knockout stages.

Bomet County amputee football team head Raphael Bett echoes these sentiments, urging the government and corporate sponsors to invest in amputee football. 

“Just as the local football teams, which now have sponsors, we should have an amputee football league where we can scout for talents and in doing this, we shall get them exposed to international clubs. Welfare of the players should also be looked into to motivate other upcoming youth,” he states.