Kipchumba Murkomen commits to protecting female athletes from abuse

Youth Affairs and Sports Cabinet Secretary nominee Kipchumba Murkomen has committed to enacting laws and policies that protect sportswomen from sexual harassment from their male colleagues and counterparts.

Speaking while responding to a question by Samburu West Member of Parliament Naisula Lesuuda on whether the Sports Ministry has a gender violence and abuse policy, the former Roads Minister said that greedy vultures in the sports industry, who target talented women for their wealth, perpetrate serious issues of gender violence and sexual abuse, particularly among women.

"I know world-class athletes who hold world-class records, and as a senator, I had to assist them in calling the DCI to protect them from attacks by pests who pose as husbands. Once they see potential, they present themselves as suitors, pretend to be in a marriage, prey on them, and steal their wealth," he said.

The nominee said he would passionately act on the matter, having bore witness to the death of Agnes Tirop, whose burial he attended at his home county in Elgeyo Marakwet.

Agnes was found dead at her home in Iten weeks after breaking a world record. Her husband Ibrahim was arrested as the prime suspect in the killing as he tried to flee to a neighbouring country to evade justice.

Her death, one of many, shook the global athletics community as it robbed it of one of the world's most promising athletes in recent times.

Murkomen stated that the events surrounding Agnes led to the formation of a committee within the Ministry, which subsequently developed a series of proposals.

"One was that if a lady is going to be in a training camp, there must be a female matron, and junior athletes' camps must be merged with neighbouring institutions," he explained.

The nominee emphasised the importance of supervising and monitoring managers and coaches to ensure their professional handling of their clients. The speaker pointed out that some of these individuals have been acting as pests, preying on sportswomen, which underscores the need for their proper evaluation.

A report released in 2022 by a ministerial committee on gender welfare and equity in sports revealed that sexual harassment is normalised in the Sports industry.

It noted that 57 per cent of the respondents admitted that the abuse had happened more than 10 times both in training camps and during international sporting competitions at the changing rooms, bars and restaurants.

The high prevalence of the crime was linked to among others lack of education and poverty.

The survey was conducted in October 2020 targeting 486 female athletes from Athletics Kenya, the Kenya Rugby Union, the Kenya Volleyball Federation and the Kenya Handball Federation.