Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology hosted the award ceremony of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on Friday 1st November 2024 at the University Skills Laboratory, main campus.
This event was coordinated by the University Community Outreach Coordinator, Dr. Issa Kweyu and Ms. Christabel Ong’ayo in collaboration with the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO (KNATCOM) and other partners including Ledona Sports Ltd, Equity Bank, Maisha Mart, Supermarket, Midland Emporium, Cricket Kenya, Mama Watoto Supermarket, Kenya Hockey Union, Kenya Baseball Federation and Kenya Badminton Federation. This day was set aside to award the schools that participated in celebrating the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace which was held on 5th April 2024 at MMUST.
The main purpose of celebrating this day is to leverage on the unifying power of sports as a tool for fostering social cohesion, promoting understanding, and building bridges across diverse communities, with the aim of contributing to the creation of peaceful and inclusive societies worldwide.
Representatives of schools following proceedings
The event's specific objectives included facilitation of intercultural exchange and dialogue through sports activities, fostering mutual understanding and respect among participants from different cultural backgrounds, promoting gender equality and social inclusion by ensuring equal participation and opportunities for women, girls, and marginalized groups in all sports-related events and initiatives, providing platforms for conflict resolution and peace building through sports-based workshops and activities, equipping participants with skills to address and mitigate tensions within their communities, raise awareness about the role of sports in promoting peace and inclusivity, emphasizing the values of teamwork, empathy, and fair play as essential components of peaceful coexistence, advocate for the removal of barriers to sports participation, including discrimination, poverty, and physical disabilities, to create more inclusive and accessible sporting environments for all individuals and engage youth in constructive and meaningful activities, empowering them as agents of positive change within their communities and inspiring them to champion peace and social cohesion through sport.
In a buildup to this event, the Department of Health Promotion and Sports Science deployed 65 first-year PE students in 40 schools around Kakamega central municipality to conduct aerobics for four weeks under the community service learning programme to mark this day, out of which 25 out of these schools brought students to join the celebrations at MMUST on 5th April 2024.
The schools that participated were: Green Mount Primary School, Green Mount Junior Secondary, Kakamega Hill School Primary, Kakamega Hill School Junior, Mahiakalo Junior Secondary, SDA Satelight Primary School, SDA Satelight Junior Secondary, Embwambwa Secondary, Embwambwa Primary, Embwambwa Junior Secondary, Maraba Secondary School, Maraba Junior Secondary, Overcoming Faith Primary, Overcoming Faith Junior Secondary, Mwyala mixed secondary school, Bondeni Primary School, Bondeni Junior Secondary, Fesbeth Academy, Shilayilo Secondary school, St. Basil Lurambi Primary school, St. Basil Lurambi Junior Secondary, St. Johns Academy, Kakamega Muslim Primary and Kakamega Rehab School.
In recognition of the schools as community service learning centres the university reciprocated by supporting each school with two balls. This partnership is set to continue during this CBC transition period. The schools appreciated the gesture from the university spearhead by the department of health promotion and sports science promising attend the next event to be held on 6th April 2025.
