Safaricom Sports Personality of the Year Awards: It’s time to reward sporting greatness at annual gala on Wednesday

SOYA SPONSORSHIP Corporate affairs manager Multichoice Philip Wahome hands over dummy cheque to SOYA ambassador Douglas Wakiihuri (right) accompanied by Olympian William Tanui 800meters gold Olympics and Chairman SOYA panel of Judges Watson Karuma when the sponsors announced their support towards Safaricom Sports Personality of the Year Awards at in Nairobi on January 14, 2018. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Crowning moment beckons for national sports finest

Who will walk away with the overall Soya awards title?

The much-awaited 14th edition of the Safaricom Sports Personality of the Year Awards (Soya) is finally here.

The annual awards that honour outstanding athletes across different sports disciplines will be held tomorrow in a gala dinner at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).

With the theme ‘Passing on the baton’, the 2017 awards challenge seasoned athletes, who are at the top of their careers, to take up mentorship roles.

Through this theme, senior athletes have been urged to encourage youngsters to aspire to break any barriers as well as mentor them into becoming great achievers.

The nomination process began last year in all categories as the panel of judges, comprising editors and senior sports journalists, picked nominees in different categories based on their achievements throughout the year.

The contestants were then shortlisted to the final five who made the cut in each category.

The panel of judges then transferred the powers of picking the winner to the public through votes. The public voted through Short Message Service (SMS) and online to determine the top three.

Soya panel of judges chairman Watson Karuma said the voting process ended yesterday.

“The response has been awesome since the voting lines opened. It has been very encouraging to see that Kenyans are interested in what is happening in sports as shown through their massive votes,” Karuma said.

Karuma was speaking yesterday while receiving sponsorship from National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and Multichoice Kenya.

NHIF gave Sh4million while Multichoice, through their brands DSTV and GOTV, injected Sh1m.

NHIF Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Mwangi congratulated athletes who excelled last year.

“We have been working with Soya for many years because we support what they do as we focus on matters of health,” Mwangi said.

Multichoice Corporate Affairs Manager Philip Wahome said they are happy to support people who generate their content.

“We are happy to be associated with sportsmen and women because they are the people who generate our highest viewership,” Wahome said.