By KPC Sports Correspondent
The fight against alcohol and drug abuse in Murang’a County and the wider Central Kenya region must be intensified to safeguard sporting talent and secure the future of young athletes, Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi has said.
Speaking during the launch of the inaugural Great Murang’a Community Run at Ihura Stadium on Sunday, Mwangi warned that rising substance abuse among young people was undermining efforts to nurture talent and grow sports in the region.
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The event attracted more than 2,000 participants, including athletes from schools, institutions, government agencies and local communities across the region.
“Success in athletics is a product of strict discipline; a value that cannot be attained if you abuse alcohol,” said Mwangi. “Additionally, the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya cannot allow you to compete if you are a drug user. We must tell our youth not to use drugs and adopt clean sporting.”
The PS noted that alcohol and substance abuse had become a major challenge to youth development in recent years, with growing numbers of young people falling into addiction.
However, he said sports could provide a powerful alternative by keeping young people engaged and productive while creating opportunities for personal and economic advancement.
“Promoting sports and establishing talent identification systems can encourage young people to be industrious and productive,” he said.
The event, which was attended by senior Athletics Kenya officials, heads of institutions and representatives from schools across Murang’a’s sub-counties, featured several race categories, with the biggest prize purse reserved for the men’s and women’s 10-kilometre elite races. Winners in both categories received Sh200,000.
Mwangi further revealed that the government was committed to expanding sports development programmes across the country as part of efforts to commercialize sports and create sustainable livelihoods for athletes.
His sentiments were echoed by former five-time world cross-country champion John Ngugi, who described the community run as a landmark initiative that could revive the region’s rich athletics heritage.
Ngugi said Central Kenya once produced some of the country’s finest runners during the 1980s and 1990s and expressed optimism that similar success could be achieved through consistent investment in grassroots competitions.
“It is such events that will keep our youth engaged. None will have time or the need to engage in alcohol and substance abuse,” he said.
Men’s 10km elite race winner Benson Karanja welcomed the initiative, saying it would provide a much-needed platform for local athletes to showcase their abilities.
“We require such events to display the talents in Murang’a. We also need the government to establish an athletics camp in this region to nurture the running talent we have,” he said.
Women’s champion Janet Ruguru also called for the race to become an annual event, saying it would help normalize athletics among women and challenge stereotypes that discourage female participation in sports.
“We need to normalize running. I have to train very early in the morning to avoid scandalized looks from my community for wearing tight-fitting training gear,” she said. “Such things might contribute to discouraging women and girls from training for fear of being judged by the community.”
Ruguru won the women’s 10km elite race in 36:56.96 ahead of Milicent Kemunto (38:53.86) and Peninah Kamau (39:25.54).
In the men’s race, Karanja crossed the finish line first in 31:43.46, followed by Alfred Kimani in 32:26.14 and Peter Ndung’u in 32:44.26.
