- Ruto appointed Murkomen to the sports docket after he dissolved the cabinet and sent home all Cabinet Secretaries save for Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
- Murkomen took over the Sports docket from former CS Ababu Namwamba.
Image: KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN / X
President William Ruto has explained why the Sports CS Kipchumba Murkomen is the best person for the Ministry.
Ruto said Murkomen has a vast experience with sports having come from Iten where sports is big.
The head of State appointed Murkomen to the sports docket after he dissolved the cabinet and sent home all cabinet secretaries save for Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
Murkomen took over the Sports docket from former CS Ababu Namwamba.
"Immediately Murkomen was sworn in, I put him on the next plane and I told him to go to Paris," Ruto said.
"I'm confident that under your leadership you understand sports very well, having learnt in a school in Iten where sports is a big thing. I'm confident that you are going to lead this Ministry into where the sports fraternity wants it to be."
He further joked that if Murkomen was participating in the Paris Olympics he would have brought home the fifth gold for steeplechase.
"I don't understand why we have four gold medals because the fifth one is missing, Mr Murkomen," he said.
The President was speaking on Thursday when he hosted the Kenyan Olympics champions to a grand reception in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.
The Olympic Games medalists jetted into the country on Tuesday night and flew to Eldoret on Thursday aboard the President’s jet from Nairobi.
Kenya led Africa with a total of 11 medals, including four gold, two silver, and five bronze, and placed 17th overall.
The gold medalists at the games came through Beatrice Chebet (5,000m and 10,000), Emmanuel Wanyonyi (800m), and Faith Kipyegon (1,500) while the silver medalists were Ronald Kwemoi (5,000m) and Faith Kipyegon (5,000).
Bronze medallists include Mary Moraa (800m), Abraham Kibiwott (3,000m steeplechase), Faith Cherotich (3,000m steeplechase), Benson Kipruto (marathon) and Hellen Obiri (marathon).
While speaking during a breakfast hosted by Ruto in honour of the athletes, Murkomen said people on social media only know how to criticise.
He said that the athletes sacrifice a lot to represent the country, and because of this they should be respected.
Murkomen insisted that it is not an easy fete to be an athlete because of the immense sacrifice athletes have to make.
"There are so many keyboard and social media warriors who only know how to criticise but they do not know what it means to participate in the Olympics. It is a very difficult task to be a sportsperson. We only see the three minutes that Faith runs but we don't see what happens behind the scenes," Murkomen said.
"There's a lot of hard work; waking up in the morning, denying yourself food, denying yourself pleasure, and denying yourself family. If you go to training camps, these athletes sleep in very small beds just like dormitories in schools. The sacrifice they make to reach where they are is immense."
He, however, noted that as a government, they plan to be deliberate on the support they give to athletes.
"We want as a government, and ministry to be more deliberate in supporting our athletes to make sure that when we come to celebrate, we can trace the path that we have supported them."
A section of social media users criticised the Kenyan team for a 'dismal' performance.