Kipsiro, Cheptegei awaken demands for a running track in Bukwo

Olympian Joshua Cheptegei, triple Commonwealth Gold medalist Moses Kipsiro and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Stephen Kiprotich have raised demands for proper sports infrastructure to be constructed in the country.

Fourteen years ago when Kipsiro was still holding the candle for Ugandan athletics, President Museveni promised to construct a running track in Bukwo upon his request but nothing has been done to-date.

“We are requesting that proper infrastructure is put in place to help us produce more champions. The lack of these facilities is what leads our athletes to cross borders to look out for good training facilities,” Kipsiro noted.

“We need this facility to develop more talent. When I won medals in 2010, I asked President Museveni to help us with this facility but I think the politicians inflated the budget and we ended up with nothing.

“But as athletes, all we need is two lines of murram on this Amanang field which will be enough for us to train from home,” Kipsiro noted.

“We are only requesting two lines of murram on this Amanang field to be able to train from home. I also asked the local government to help fix and construct the murram feeder roads because we also use these for training,” he stated.

He also asked the Uganda Wildlife Authority to stop the random shooting of people because the athletes also use the forest for their cross country training and should not be mistaken for poachers like they recently shot an innocent young kid.

“We need to harmonise with UWA so that we can continue using the forest for our training."

Kipsiro was saddened that someone had taken Rebecca’s life that she had worked so hard to build.

Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei also had no kind words for the continued failure by the government to implement resolutions that the local governments pass.

“In 2021 there was a joint report from the local governments of Kapchorwa, Kween and Bukwo and in that report there was a request from the government to fix the road network. So I request that what is in that report be implemented,” Cheptegei said.

“We need better roads and also still demand a new facility here in Bukwo. This is a region that has produced multiple world champions but I wonder why it continues to be left out of the sports development agenda. We demand an answer because we are producing results,” he stated.

He castigated the existence of gender-based violence in the community and called on different stakeholders in the communities to fight the vice. He advised parents to get involved in their children’s education and training.

He advised the young athletes to respect themselves, know who they are dealing with and know their surroundings and make the best and informed decisions in life.

He called on all those still training in Kenya to come back home and make use of the Teryet High Altitude facility that the government has constructed.

“Come back home, there is a blessing here at home,” Cheptegei

“I would like to thank the UPDF that has been employing Rebecca and all other security agencies. Most of our athletes opt to train from Kenya because of the lack of proper roads for training in Uganda. So I demand that we be given priority in that area as people of the Sebei sub region because of what we have done for this country,” Cheptegei stated.

“It is so absurd that we continue to lament about evils in our land, especially the stand-off between UWA and the community. We believe in conservation and there should be good working relations with the community. So we need to come up with a framework for sports and tourism so that people are not killed anyhow."

Kiprotich advised parents and leaders to take care of their children to avert similar disasters. He also called on the government to put in relevant infrastructure (roads and sports facilities) to ensure Ugandan athletes stop finding excuses to go and train from Kenya.

Stella Chesang was also saddened by the death of her colleague with whom they were at the Olympics and enjoyed the aftermath of the games together.

She advised fellow athletes and everyone to respect their lives, know their friends and move to those that they know are safe for them and report any troublesome ones to the police.

“I heard Rebecca reported to the Kenyan police and it failed to act, so I asked my fellow athletes to be vigilant,” Chesang said.