The panoramic Nakuru Athletics Club has marked 100 years of existence with pomp and color.
The heavily patronized club popularly known as NAC is one of the oldest sports clubs in Kenya that existed under the colonial regime.
Indigenous Kenyans would not be allowed to use the facility then, so they would use the African Sports Stadium now referred to as Afraha Stadium.
Speaking during the centennial celebrations, an ecstatic club chairman Dr Victor Achoka said it had been a century of learning, progress and growth filled with immense contributions from individuals who had been committed to the excellence of the great club.
“We have held a lot of activities prior to the event that have been part of the 100 years’ milestone,” he added.
As part of its centenary celebrations, Dr. Achoka said the club had hosted various sporting disciplines including soccer, cricket, rugby, chess, snooker, swimming, volleyball, hockey, table tennis, and darts that culminated in a tree-planting exercise as part of its sustainable actions on climate change.
Established in 1926, NAC is a prestigious member-only club offering top-tier facilities for a variety of sporting activities.
Over the past century, the club chairman explained that they had played an instrumental role in nurturing sporting talent in the county, producing world class players in various disciplines, adding that some of the historical aspects of the club were intricately linked to the legendary East African rugby player D.S. “Lofty” Reynolds.
Reynolds was the most capped East African player of his time in 1950s and 1960s who represented East Africa against the British Lions, Wales and South Africa.
Reynolds was a burly second-row player for Nakuru Athletic Club and earned the honor of having a trophy and competition named in his honor, the Lofty Cup.
Dr Achoka pledged that as the club starts its next century, it is poised to continue fostering sportsmanship and provide a venue for athletic achievement and community engagement.
NAC which is equipped with a 2000-person capacity stadium also has a rich history steeped in tradition with some colorful cast of players in various sporting disciplines who dominated the club’s earlier years, especially during the colonial era.
The NAC ground has hosted significant cricket matches, including a game featuring the Rift Valley Cricket Association XI against Minor Counties of England.
Nakuru Deputy Governor David Kones commended the NAC management for their steadfast leadership and dedication, which has ensured the club’s continued success and relevance over the past century.
He reaffirmed the county government’s commitment to supporting NAC’s sports initiatives and emphasized the devolved unit’s broader strategy to invest in youth talent development across all sectors.
Kones pledged that Governor Susan Kihika’s administration will continue channeling more financial resources towards promoting sports, arts and culture, which are emerging avenues for youth talent development.
He said that contrary to what many people may think, sports are not only for leisure but also an important tool that could act as a wheel to transform lives in society.
The deputy governor indicated that sport was a powerful tool for the promotion of inclusion and the development of a positive self-image among youth.
“Sport continues to be a driver of transformative change both for individuals and societies at large, which is why organizations use it to achieve desired change in various facets of life,” Kones added.
He urged stakeholders to do what they must to improve the sports ecosystem and rallied the public to believe in and support sportsmen whenever they are in the field.
Kones said they were already renovating several sporting facilities to help nurture talent and make Nakuru a leading sports tourism destination in the region.
By Esther Mwangi and Mary Ochieng
