The Kenya National Paralympic Committee (KNPC) secretary general Stanley Mutuma says they have set their sights on a transformative journey for Team Kenya at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games.
This comes after Kenya placed 75th in the overall medal standings with only one medal –a silver from Samson Ojuko— in the men’s long jump T37.
Algeria led the African charge in position 25 with 11 medals (six gold and five bronze) with Tunisia (27th with 11 medals), Morocco (31st with 15 medals), Nigeria (40th with seven medals), Egypt (41st with seven medals), Ethiopia (44th with three medals), South Africa (46th with six medals) and Namibia (61st with two medals) following in order.
Looking ahead to the Los Angeles Games, KNPC is laying down a strategic plan that will involve partnerships with sports federations, educational institutions for the disabled and corporate sponsors.
The goal is to expand Kenya’s talent pool, particularly in athletics, cycling and powerlifting.
“We’ll work closely with Athletics Kenya, Cycling Federation and other sports bodies to ensure para-athletes are included in our competition calendars,” Mutuma explained.
“We’ll also focus on training more coaches and referees in these sports.”
Mutuma stressed that funding will be crucial for the success of these programs, calling for stronger marketing and media strategies to attract corporate sponsors.
“We are grateful for the support from Safaricom and East African Breweries Limited during the Paris Games and we hope to build on that for the future,” he said.
Training will be another critical area of focus, with Mutuma urging Kenya to embrace science and technology in athletes' preparation.
Sports Secretary of Administration, Evans Achoki echoed these sentiments, noting that the government will prioritise para-sports in the provision of facilities, training, coaching and talent development.
“Our athletes gave their all with many achieving personal bests,” said Achoki.
“However, it was clear that our rivals had made significant strides in their preparations. We’ve learned valuable lessons and will now focus on closing that gap.”
Reflecting on Kenya’s performance at the Paralympics, Mutuma said; “We had set a target of at least four medals but our competition was stronger amid superior preparations.”
“However, it's encouraging that we had more athletes and more disciplines this time compared to previous Games,” he added.
Mutuma also noted that despite the tough competition, Team Kenya’s participation was seamless, with no major disruptions except for a minor pre-Games incident in Compiegne.
“Our athletes received their allowances on time, both locally and abroad,” he added.
Mutuma highlighted the expansion of Kenya's participation in five disciplines as one of the key successes, with the inclusion of taekwondo and cycling.
Ambitious Mutuma said their goal for Los Angeles 2028 is to field over 30 athletes—a sharp increase from the 14 who competed in Paris.
The first batch of Team Kenya is set to arrive in Nairobi on Monday night aboard Air France, with the final group expected on Tuesday morning.
