Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has recounted how Kenya began its bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, saying the initiative initially appeared almost like a joke before receiving the backing of President William Ruto.
Murkomen spoke in Eldoret during a breakfast launch for the Mashujaa Day Sporting Tournament.
Leaders from the three counties co-hosting the tournament- Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet and Nandi, accompanied him.
Murkomen said the championship would be hosted in Africa for the first time in the history of the global athletics event, describing the award as a major milestone for Kenya and the continent.
He recalled that in November 2024, while serving as Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei approached him with a proposal for Kenya to bid for the championships.
“When I was Cabinet Secretary for Sports in November 2024, General Tuwei came to me and said we want to host the World Athletics Championships and it looked like it was a joke,” Murkomen said.
He said Tuwei subsequently asked him to prepare the formal letter authorising Athletics Kenya to proceed with the bid.
“So he asked me to do the letter. I wrote the letter, signed and approved they can bid,” he said.
Murkomen said although he supported the proposal, he sought Ruto's approval before the country proceeded with the bid.
“Even though I had faith, it was not such as big. You know I could not do such a thing without consulting President William Ruto and he told me to go ahead and bid,” he said.
The Cabinet Secretary said Kenya had already begun engaging the leadership of World Athletics before the bid was formally submitted, noting that the organisation's president had been in the country at the time.
“Even before we put it in writing, I remember we had already engaged World Athletics President who was here in the country at that point in time,” Murkomen said.
He credited Ruto with taking over the campaign for Kenya's bid and marketing the country's case internationally.
“From there the President took over as the chief marketer and campaigner for the bid,” he said.
Murkomen linked the successful bid to what he described as a wider revival of sports in the country, crediting the President's administration with creating an environment for major sporting events and infrastructure development.
“This sports renaissance has not happened by accident, but because of a consistent hard working president, focused on the development of the country,” he said.
“When history will be written, we will remember President William Ruto for rejuvenating sports in our country.”
The 2029 World Athletics Championships will place Kenya at the centre of the global athletics calendar and provide an opportunity for the country to showcase its long association with the sport.
The event is also expected to increase attention on Kenya's sporting infrastructure, with preparations likely to focus on competition venues, training facilities, transport and accommodation.
Beyond athletics, the championships are expected to provide opportunities for the tourism, hospitality and business sectors as Kenya prepares to welcome athletes, officials, fans and visitors from across the world.
