Parliament Hails Team Kenya’s Stellar Performance at Tokyo

Parliament has formally recognized the outstanding performance of Team Kenya at the just-concluded World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, where the country clinched 7 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals, topping Africa’s rankings and finishing second globally.

In a Communication from the Chair, the Speaker read out the names of Kenya’s medalists, praising them for their historic achievements that left the world in awe.

“We are about 54 million people. India and China have over a billion people each yet we beat them,” the Speaker noted, drawing applause from Members of Parliament.

The House which was resuming sittings after a month-long recess, was told that Kenya made history by becoming the only country in the world to win gold in all women’s events at the championships, a feat that saw female athletes dominate in six different disciplines.

Peres Jepchirchir opened the medal tally with gold in the marathon, before Beatrice Chebet struck twice in the 10,000m and 5,000m races. Faith Cherotich won the 3,000m steeplechase, Faith Kipyegon extended her reign in the 1,500m, while Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Lillian Odira bagged the 800m crown.

Together, Kenyan women secured six gold medals and one silver, comprehensively outshining their male counterparts.

The Speaker allocated 45 minutes for MPs to convey their felicitations to the athletes, following a request by Hon. Cynthia Muge (Nandi County).

Separately, the Speaker reminded members of the upcoming Annual Inter-Parliamentary Games, which will be held in Kampala, Uganda, after Burundi and EALA (Arusha) pulled out due to resource constraints.

He urged MPs to intensify preparations, cautioning against a repeat of the “hopeless bystander” performance witnessed in Mombasa.

The inter-parliamentary tournament, which brings together legislators from the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) member states, is viewed as a crucial platform for deepening regional integration.