Meru University of Science and Technology (MUST) held the second edition of the Meru Mountain Run with the aim of raising funds for cancer research, conservation and an endowment fund to support the education of needy students.
Using sport as a platform to mobilize resources and create awareness around the three causes, The event brought together athletes, government officials, university staff, students and other stakeholders.
Principal Secretary for Sports Elijah Mwangi said the government would support the initiative, noting that sports could help transform the regional economy while providing young people with career opportunities.
Mwangi announced a Sh8.56 million contribution towards the event, with Sh5 million earmarked for the three causes and Sh3.56 million set aside as prize money.
He encouraged Athletics Kenya (AK) to work with Meru University to organize international mountain-running and cross-country competitions in the region, saying the area’s high altitude provided an ideal environment for athletes’ training.
The PS also disclosed that the government was supporting the completion of Kinoru Stadium, with Sh150 million committed by President William Ruto. He said the contractor was expected to commence work, with completion targeted for December.
He urged universities, students and parents to take sports seriously as a career, noting that the sector required professionals in fields such as medicine, engineering, nutrition, statistics and law.
He further cautioned athletes against doping and said the government would continue supporting the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya in its efforts to curb the vice.
The PS said sporting events such as the mountain run could also help identify and nurture young talent while creating opportunities for communities to benefit from sports tourism and related economic activities. He encouraged stakeholders to sustain such initiatives beyond the annual competition.
Meru University of Science and Technology Vice Chancellor Prof. Romanus Odhiambo said the university had experienced significant growth over the past eight years, with student numbers increasing from about 4,000 to approximately 17,000.
He said the increase in student numbers had also resulted in a rise in the number of needy students requiring financial support.
“Majority of our programmes are supported through government funding, but we also need alternative sources of revenue to support needy students,” said Prof. Odhiambo.
He said the university had also embraced environmental conservation as part of its contribution to the national tree-growing campaign, noting that Nchiru Campus, which was once largely barren, had undergone significant transformation.
Prof. Odhiambo said the university was also supporting research to establish whether Meru indeed has a high prevalence of cancer, as commonly claimed.
He said funds raised through the mountain run would help the university undertake research and, if the findings confirmed a high cancer burden, establish a cancer centre to address the problem.
Principal Secretary for Forestry Gitonga Mugambi said the initiative was important because it addressed the needs of needy students, cancer patients and environmental conservation.
Mugambi pledged government support for the Marimba Campus expansion plans, including its requirement for 50 acres of land to enable it to operate as a standalone institution.
He also encouraged residents to take advantage of the expected El Niño rains, if they occur, to plant trees in large numbers.
Meru University Council Chairperson Prof. Ireri Kanya said the mountain run was more than a sporting event, describing it as a race with a purpose aimed at creating hope and a better future.
He said cancer research was one of the main reasons the university embraced the initiative, adding that the institution would work with partners to establish itself as a centre of hope for cancer patients.
Kanya said the university was also working towards establishing a strong endowment fund within the next decade to support education and other institutional programmes.
On conservation, he said the university intended to raise funds to protect forests and ecosystems neighbouring its campuses.
Meru County Executive Committee Member for Sports Elias Murega said the county government was committed to supporting the university in its three key causes.
Murega said Meru was preparing to host the African Mountain Run Initiative on October 4, an event intended to link the county with other mountain-running events across East Africa and promote conservation.
He also called for closer collaboration between the county government and the university in implementing the Meru County Research Act and addressing cancer through research.
Meru County Commissioner Omollo assured the University of Government Support in mobilising and sensitising residents on disease prevention.
Principal Secretary for Cooperatives Kilemi Kiburi appealed to stakeholders and members of the public to support the mountain run and its three causes, saying he would continue supporting the initiative.
The event also attracted athletes who competed in the elite 14-kilometre category.
In the women’s race, Darmaris Towett from Nakuru emerged winner and pocketed Sh200,000, followed by Martha Kinuthia of Naivasha who received Sh150,000, while Sharon Cherotich from Nakuru finished third and took home Sh100,000.
In the men’s category, Fredrick Kimong’ore from West Pokot, Manela Michael from Nyahururu and Shadrack Kipyegon from Nakuru emerged among the top performers
By Dickson Mwiti
