Kenyan Olympics team receives Sh20m boost from Safaricom

Safaricom has boosted the Kenyan Olympics team with Sh20 million sponsorship ahead of the games in Tokyo scheduled to begin on July 23.

Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said, “As part of our passion for sports, we have always been at the forefront of supporting our athletes every time the Olympics games are held. Whether this is through supporting the Olympic trials, giving incentives to the medal winners or providing support to the National Olympic Committee of Kenya."

“This year in addition to ensuring they are well kitted we’ll be providing each team member airtime so that they can keep in touch with their family and friends back home,” he added. 

Each team member will receive Sh10,000 worth of Safaricom airtime that they can use while in Tokyo.

Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Heritage and Culture Ambassador (Dr) Amina Mohamed stated, “I thank Safaricom for their continued support and investment in sports and in our athletes. This is in line with our commitment as a Ministry to partner with the private sector to uplift the quality and standards of the sports industry in the country."

“We have put in place extensive measures to ensure that the athletes are well prepared for the Games in Tokyo. Despite the pandemic, our collaborative public-private partnership approach has provided much needed protective support to the entire sports ecosystem securing athlete welfare,” she further stated. 

There were 89 Kenyan athletes in seven sports to the Games during the last Olympics in Rio and they graced the country with six gold, six silver and one bronze medal.

This year Kenya is expected to take over 80 athletes to the Olympics who will compete in Athletics,  Rugby Sevens, Boxing, Taekwondo, Beach Volleyball and Indoor Volleyball.