How far will you go for integration?

Photographed by Sydney White

At nine o’clock on a sunny Saturday morning in June, Special Olympics Kenya Coaches and athletes began to gather at the University of Nairobi sports grounds in the heart of the capital. They had come to train in Basketball, Bocce And GlobeAt least five coaches and thirty athletes have already arrived using public transport, often using more than one type. More athletes are still travelling to the facilities from distances of up to 400 kilometres/250 miles.

2 day trip

Victor Ligembe hopes the ice hockey team can compete next season. Special Olympics World Winter Games in TurinItaly, which will be held in March 2025. He is a committed athlete devoted to the University of Nairobi club. There are no clubs where he lives, on the edge of the Kakamega forest. Even if there were, he would still make the two-day trip to the University of Nairobi, the site of his first club, the club of his heart, where he first experienced real inclusion.

“I always come back here as soon as I can,” says Legembe. “Now that my mother has moved to Kakamega, and I have moved with her, I still come back here every week.”

On Saturday, Ligembe arrives at futsal practice an hour after it starts. He left his home 400 kilometers (250 miles) away on Thursday. He arrived in Nairobi on Friday and spent the night with his aunt. The next morning, he woke up early to catch a bus and a motorbike to practice. The round trip costs him about 2,000 Kenyan shillings (about $15.50), more than the average monthly salary for most Kenyans.

While Ligembe can afford the long journey, many athletes and coaches have moved further away from their original clubs during Covid-19 Pandemic They can no longer afford to travel to training. Others live nearby, but the shrinking economy makes it difficult for their families to afford bus, motorbike and taxi fares.

More than just walking distance

Even outstanding athletes like John Mwaka, who competed in the World Games in Angles And The United Arab Emirates They may find themselves unable to afford the bus fare. He lives on the other side of town, 25 kilometres/15.5 miles from the training grounds. Rather than skip training when money is tight, Mwaka chooses to walk to training, which is happening more often these days.

According to coach Jackie Tabby, coaches also travel on public transportation to work with athletes. “Every coach you see on this field today takes multiple stops on public transportation to get here. We have jobs and families, but we do our best to be there for our athletes.”

For Tabi, training is not limited to the fields and sports fields. Knowing that most athletes use at least one form of public transportation to training sessions, she requires athletes to wear branded T-shirts. That way, if anything happens during transportation, philanthropists will know to contact Special Olympics. Additionally, coaches spend money buying water and snacks for athletes who travel and train for more than half the day in the sun. With Kenya’s warm climate, all team sports, including basketball and soccer, are played outdoors.

Despite the obstacles of travel distance and cost, Special Olympics athletes and coaches in Kenya have found creative ways to prepare to compete in local and world competitions, often winning gold medals and proving that inclusion is worth the journey.