NAIROBI, Kenya, September 13 – Athletics Kenya (AK) have opened a condolence book for long-serving race starter and administrator Francis Nyatome who passed away last week.
The condolence book is available for signing by members of the public at Riadha House headquarters even as plans for his burial continue.
Nyatome retired in 2021 having served in Kenyan athletics in various capacities, including race starter, public relations officer (PRO), AK librarian and museum curator as well as team manager for Team Kenya at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
He was also a World Athletics certified technical official who provided training to upcoming officials within and without Kenyan borders.
Born in 1938 as a firstborn in a family of 12, Nyatome began as a footballer — playing with his seven brothers in the Nyaribari Chache team.
Later, he veered off into athletics, specializing in the 400m where he enjoyed considerable success at Riondong’a Elementary School, which he joined in 1951 before sitting for his intermediate KAPE Examination in 1957.
He undertook his higher education at Etierio before moving to Uganda under the Lutheran Church for training as a P3 teacher and later on in Siriba as a P2 teacher.
Nyatome then moved to India on a scholarship to train as an aeronautical engineer at the Central Training Institute for Instructors.
On return to the country in 1976, he took up employment at the East Africa Airlines (later Kenya Airways) where he worked until 1993 before retirement.
He also worked for the English Printing Press before he finally returned to Kenyan athletics for which he trained as a race starter.
For his in-depth knowledge of Kenyan athletics, Nyatome was christened the ‘walking encyclopedia’.
His influence in Kenyan athletics was seismic, inspiring a new generation of technical officials who followed in his footsteps.
Nyatome is survived by a widow, Milkah Bitonga, with who he had six kids – late Irene Moraa Panther, Tom Robert Mikuro, Lorna Bonareri, Brian Onserio Nyatome, Edgar Oguoka and Paul Cornellius Mogusu.
Rest in peace legend.
