NAIROBI, Kenya, November 9 – Athletics Kenya (AK) have revealed plans to train officials at the grassroots on safeguarding to better protect athletes.
AK president Lt Gen (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei said two officials from each region will be empowered with safeguarding skills and knowledge as part of a wider war against gender-based violence (GBV), sexual abuse and harassment, and financial exploitation, among others.
“The next step is that we are going to train two people in each region on safeguarding so we can protect you better. We cannot sit in Nairobi, thinking that things are okay and they are not. That’s why we have come for another round of meetings,” Lt Gen (Rtd) Tuwei said.
The president expressed confidence the federation is making huge strides towards eliminating GBV, sexual harassment and abuse of athletes, especially upcoming ones.
“We were here in 2021 for a consultative meeting with you on GBV. The product of that meeting was the formation of a safeguarding policy as defined by World Athletics and a safeguarding committee. This time, we have returned with the government and are hopeful of coming up with even better measures from your proposals,” he said.
Lt Gen (Rtd) Tuwei was speaking on Saturday afternoon during an engagement forum with athletes at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) in Iten.
The forum is part of the RESET-END GBV campaign organised by AK, Equity Bank, National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) and the State Department of Gender and State Department of Sports – supported by Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS).
Speaking at the same time, NGAAF’s director of fund management, Viridiana Wasike said the organisation is committed to ending GBV, informing athletes that its doors are always open to receive any complaints.
“NGAAF has offices across this country. All our offices are at the County Commissioners’ offices. Our work is to defend you and fight for your rights. Anything that needs affirmative action, including GBV, that is our function,” Wasike said.
The forum also focused on financial management during which athletes were encouraged to always set aside savings for expected and unexpected events in the future.
“From your income, you need to allocate wisely because you cannot run forever. Fifty per cent of your income should go towards meeting your needs (things you can’t do without), 30% towards your wants (things you can do without) and 20% towards savings. At Equity Bank, we will show you what to do with that 20% and grow it further,” Dickson Kirui, Training Coordinator Equity Group Foundation – Rift Valley, said.
Athletes and coaches who spoke at the event emphasised on the need to live in harmony with one another and to build their relationships on godly foundations.
“As athletes, you need to walk closely with God even as you pursue your goals. He is the only one who can help you avoid such troubles like GBV. Athletes should help each other out as well. Elite athletes who have made it can help out the younger ones by providing them with training equipment. This way, all of us can grow,” Dorcas Cherop, an athlete said.
Her sentiments were echoed by Henry Cherono, an athletics coach, who observed that Iten is increasingly becoming notorious for GBV.
“Iten has become a hotspot of GBV and that’s very unfortunate. As the athletics community in Iten, we have already started the conversation on how to end this menace. On 22nd of this month, we will continue this conversation. There is need for conflict resolution methods to nip GBV in the bud before it worsens,” Cherono said.
Also featuring prominently in the conversations was the need to train and employ more female coaches in addition to empowering law enforcement agencies to take GBV cases seriously.
“We need more female coaches here in Iten so female athletes have people they can confide in. It is very difficult for a female athlete to reveal to a male coach that she is undergoing GBV. The law enforcement agencies should also be empowered especially when it comes to handling male victims of GBV,” Mark Kimtai, an athlete said.
Other engagement forums have been held in Machakos, Ngong’, Kapsabet and Kericho.
The next stop is expected to be Nyahururu on Sunday.
