Uasin Gishu county government addresses withdrawal from Eldoret City Marathon

Following the postponement of the Eldoret City Marathon just 48 hours to the race day, the county government of Uasin Gishu has cleared the air on why they withdrew their title sponsorship for the esteemed marathon that happens annually on the streets of the city of champions.

In a statement seen by Mozzart Sport, the county, under the leadership of Jonathan Chelilim Bii outlined their reasons for the newest development.

To begin with, the statement noted that it was illegal to fund a private entity like Eldoret City Marathon using public funds.

"Eldoret City Marathon is run by a private entity known as Eldoret City Holdings. The County Government cannot fund a private entity using public funds since it is against the law," the statement began.

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The devolved unit went on to state that the county assembly did not approve the allocation of funds for the race in the 2022/23 budget after questions were raised by the Office of the Auditor General, while conducting their audit.

The county further explained that their request to get shares from the marathon hit a dead end, making it difficult for them to spend on the community marathon.

"The County Government of Uasin Gishu requested the management of Eldoret City Marathon to restructure its shareholding to bring in the government to continue as title sponsor. The management declined," the statement continued.

Despite that, the county had pledged to sponsor 1,000 individual athletes to take part in the marathon.

Since the inception of the race in 2018, the last race has been sponsored by the Uasin Gishu County Government with former governor Jackson Mandago, who is the current senator, being the patron.

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There was delayed payment for winners of the 2022 edition. Said winners had to wait until March this year to be rewarded after Mandago left office last year. The race organizers blamed the delay in payments on the transition in the county leadership, forcing the organizers to postpone this year's edition from April to October.

However, as the old adage goes, when giants clash, the ants get crashed.

The postponement of the race is a major blow to athletes who have been working hard, putting the final touch ahead of the race that was set for Sunday, 1 October.

2021 winner Mercy Kipchumba is familiar with that ordeal;

“After winning, I have been out due to injury but this year I think I’m in good condition and my target was to compete. The Eldoret City Marathon has indeed shaped my life because I managed to buy land and built a house after I was rewarded,” said Kipchumba.

In spite of the rollercoaster of events race director Moses Tanui, a two-time Boston Marathon winner assured that the race would be on its feet once sponsors disbursed all the prize monies, as well as running merchandise expected to land in the country on Monday, 2 October.

"It is crucial to emphasize that this decision does not mark the end of our marathon event. We are fully dedicated to making this race a reality, but only when we have secured the necessary funds and ensured that the prize money is fully deposited in our bank accounts. Our athletes deserve nothing less than a fair competition, and it is our responsibility to guarantee that their efforts are justly rewarded," Tanui concluded.