Football

Nairobi City Marathon postponed

Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei speaking during the press brief announcing the postponement of the Nairobi City Marathon (C) AK

By Rama Mohammed and Michael Kirwa | Tuesday, July 2, 2024

The postponement has been occasioned by uncertainty due to the ongoing protests in Kenya

The 2024 Nairobi City Marathon which was scheduled to take place oj Sunday, July 7, has been postponed to Sunday, September 8, the race organisers have said.

"The postponement has been occasioned by unavoidable, external circumstances beyond the control of the organizing committee," the organisers said in a statement as they explained that the decision was arrived at after, "widespread consultations, evaluation and introspection".

While acknowledging that there were runners who genuinely wanted the event to still take place, the race organisers stated the decision to postpone the event was also prompted by thousands of already registered athletes who proposed that it be shelved to another date.

"This postponement provides us with the opportunity to put in place measures to ensure a bigger and better edition than the previous two," a statement from the organisers read in part,

"For interested participants, use this extended period to continue registering for the marathon and training for it. We thank all those who have thus far registered, many of who include foreign athletes," it added.

The organisers took positives in the decision to postpone the event as it will provide more time for more interested athletes to register for races under the event which include the 42km, 21km, 10km, and 5km races.

The organisers also look forward to the entry of more foreign athletes whose presence they argue spices up the competition and enhances Nairobi City Marathon’s status as one of the world’s most-watched road races.

Nairobi City Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, July 7, 2024 has been postponed to September 8, 2024 due to unavoidable, external circumstances beyond control of the organising committee. pic.twitter.com/LnOBmVepN2
— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) July 2, 2024

The Nairobi City Marathon is in its third edition. It first took place in 2024 and grabbed headlines for offering the highest prize money for a city marathon held in Africa.

This year's winners for the men's and women's 42-kilometre races are expected to take home Sh 3.5 million.

While the race organisers were not explicit in their statement, it can be easily argued that the decision to postpone the event was influenced by the recent anti-tax protests which are expected to climax with a big protest on Sunday, July 7.

July 7, recognised in Kenya as Saba Saba Day, is a day which, depending on the prevailing political conditions, usually sees nationwide protests against the government. Holding such protests have become a tradition in Kenya since the first of its kind on July 7, 1990, when Kenyans, led by opposition leaders, took to the streets to demand free elections and end of the single party rule.

Since then, Saba Saba Day protests have taken various with human rights groups and activista being involved to organise demonstrations which advocate for recognition and upholding certain rights.

The recent anti-tax protests, which have metamorphosed for a call of regime change with protesters calling for the resignation of President William Ruto, have coincided with Saba Saba Day and, as such, a large protest is expected in the nation's capital and other towns in Kenya.

With the Nairobi City Marathon making use of the city's roads including the Nairobi Expressway, it is perceptible that it would be difficult for the event to take place especially considering that the protesters, who have committed to be peaceful, may end up engaging in running battles with the police as has been witnessed in recent demonstrations which have led to loss of life and destruction of property.