Full list of sporting stars with State honours

President Uhuru Kenyatta has no doubt heaped honours and promotions to Kenya’s sports personalities for their excellence. From State honours during Mashujaa and Jamhuri Day celebrations to promotions of those serving in the uniformed forces;, President Uhuru has no doubt warmed the hearts of top sports men and women.

Last Sunday, Olympic champions Faith Chepng’etich Kipyegon and Peres Jepchirchir received awards during the Jamhuri Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi. The President honoured Kipyegon and Jepchirchir with the Order of the Grand Warrior medals for their exemplary performances in athletics this season.

Jepchirchir, the two-time world half marathon champion and women-only world 21km record holder, won the Olympic marathon title in Sapporo, Japan, in August before becoming the first Olympic champion to win the New York City Marathon crown last month.

She describes the OGW award as another win this year. She set the 1:05:16 women-only half marathon world record at the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia last year.

Kipyegon, 27, won the Olympic 1500m title in August to become the third woman to retain her title after becoming a mother in-between the Games.

“It is a motivation and shows everything is possible in life,” Kipyegon said.

She added: “Defending my title in Tokyo was something special to me. At the Monaco Diamond League, I almost broke the world record but it was not my day. I will attempt another day.”

In October, during the 2021 Mashujaa Day celebrations, Africa 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala and former Kenya Sevens captain Humphrey Kayange and Collins Injera also received OGW honours. Last year, Catherine Ndereba and Timothy Cheruiyot were among a handful of Kenyans that the President honoured at the Jamhuri Day celebrations at Nyayo Stadium.

Ndereba was crowned with Moran of the Burning Spear (MBS) for her contribution to sports activities. In 2019, world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge was crowned with the Elder of the Golden Heart award while women-only world marathon record holder Mary Keitany received the Order of the Grand Warrior award.

World 800m record holder David Rudisha has received Moran of the Burning Spear (MBS) award, Olympic javelin silver medalist Julius Yego (OGW) and Geoffrey Kamworor (OGW).

Tecla Loroupe, Ezekiel Kemboi, Douglas Wakiihuri and Jason Dunford have been honoured with OGW. Paul Tergat, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) President, was awarded Moran of the Burning Spear (MBS) a few years ago.

In 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta honored marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge with the Elder of the order of the Golden Heart (EGH) in Mombasa, for his incredible performance in athletics. The EGH award put Kipchoge in the same league with, among others, the Deputy President, Speakers of Parliament, Cabinet Secretaries and Head of Public Service.

That Kenyan athletes’ rise in promotions at the police and prisons is no news. In August, President Uhuru promoted world 1,500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot from the rank of Chief Inspector of Prisons in a somersault to the rank of Senior Superintendent (SSP). The 26-year-old Cheruiyot stands out as the youngest officer in the disciplined forces holding such a rank.

The National Police Service boasts of a sizable number of senior officers of gazetted rank who are of or above the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP).

At the moment, there are at least four former track stars holding the rank of Commissioner of Police (CP), the fifth-highest rank in the National Police Service. Former superstars in Marius Tum (400m), Tabitha Ranga (1500m), William Yampoyi (800m) and Karisa Mwaringa (100m) hold the rank of Commissioner of Police.

David Ng’etich, the former 5000m sensation, is an Assistant Superintendent of Police in the Administration Police Service.