President William Ruto has announced a Ksh15 million reward for athletes Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet following their recent world-record-breaking victories on the global stage.
Speaking during a luncheon at State House with the Harambee Stars, the President praised the athletes for flying Kenya’s flag high and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to supporting sports excellence across disciplines.
“We have scheduled payouts. I know we have great athletes who have won many races and many games across the globe,” Ruto said.
He confirmed that the government has increased prize money for athletes by 400 per cent. In July, the Ministry of Sports allocated Ksh55 million to athletes with exceptional international results.
As part of this initiative, Ruto pledged Ksh10 million to Kipyegon and Ksh5 million to Chebet.
Kipyegon recently stunned the world at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, when she smashed her own 1500m world record, clocking 3:48.68. The feat made her the first woman in history to run under 3:49 in the race. Weeks later, she clocked 8:07.04 in the 3000m at the Silesia Diamond League, narrowly missing the long-standing 1993 world record.
Chebet also wrote history at the Prefontaine Classic by becoming the first woman to run the 5000m in under 14 minutes, setting a world record of 13:58.06. At Silesia, she clocked a personal best of 3:54.73 in the 1500m, finishing second to Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay.
The government’s revised reward structure will see Olympic and Paralympic gold medalists receive Ksh3 million, up from Ksh750,000. Silver winners will earn Ksh2 million, while bronze medalists will take home Ksh1 million.
Commonwealth Games winners will also benefit, with gold medalists earning Ksh2.5 million, silver Ksh1.5 million, and bronze Ksh1 million, significantly higher than the previous Ksh500,000 payout.
Ruto emphasized that the framework seeks to align athlete rewards with international best practices while addressing the rising cost of living and supporting emerging sports talent
