Annual goat race attracts tourists in Kwale

Fun mark the annual Diani goat derby in South Coast

The goat race event has become popular in the area, attracting hundreds of local and international spectators.

The goats, dressed up in colourful clothes, compete in a race carefully guided by trainers who run behind them with brooms. This year's event was hosted on the lawns of Leisure Lodge golf course.

Unlike other sports, goat derby is determined by the sharpness and skills of the goat trainers who use brooms in a bid to make them go faster.

The goats are normally dressed in different and colored clothes specifically for identification purpose by the judges.

Event organizer Pauline Mackenzi said the event seeks to raise funds. “Although it was an exclusive goat derby to raise funds for the less fortunate, it also offered a chance for the spectators to showcase their dressing fashion, which was in various categories from children to adults,” said Pauline.

 “Most Kenyans know of human sports but it was evident today that goats can as well race from short races to hurdles. The goats did not disappoint as they left spectators in stitches,” she added.

“What one needs is good food and some energy to make the killer move. Goats are marked while some are partly clothed ready for the occasion. Their pitch is demarcated and they have to tag along with their shepherds as guiders,” she added.