WEST POKOT — Stakeholders in education and sports have called on schools across the region to establish dedicated athletics programs for young learners, aiming to identify and nurture the next generation of champions while promoting holistic development.
The rallying call was delivered during the second edition of the Kids Athletics competition, hosted under the theme “Little Feet, Big Dreams” at the Tegla Lorupe Education and Peace Centre in West Pokot County. The event brought together learners from various schools, offering teachers and coaches a vital platform to scout promising talent early.
Athletics icon and event host, Ambassador Tegla Lorupe, emphasized the need for an integrated approach to learning, urging institutions to invest heavily in both academic and extra-curricular paths.
“Education and sports go hand in hand. We must identify and nurture talent when children are still young,” Lorupe said, adding that early exposure helps surface raw abilities that might otherwise go unnoticed in traditional classroom settings.
Echoing these sentiments, Siyoi Zone Curriculum Support Officer Maruti Soita highlighted the importance of inclusive development for children of varying academic strengths.
“Some children are not able to grasp classwork at the same pace as others, but they are gifted differently in talents like athletics,” Soita noted, advocating for early intervention so young athletes can receive specialized coaching alongside their studies.
In a speech delivered by Ministry of Education Projects Manager Prof. Kipsang Chemagut, West Pokot County Director of Education Yophes Magara commended the peace center for combining sports, education, and peace-building initiatives.
The Tegla Lorupe Education and Peace Centre currently supports 36 student-athletes with full scholarships and training programs. To ensure high-level development, its teaching staff has received specialized coaching certification from Athletics Kenya through World Athletics.
The institution’s strategy is already yielding results on the international stage. Two of its students represented Kenya at the East Africa Games in Kakamega last year, while another pair competed in the regional tournament in Morogoro, Tanzania, earlier this year.
