2025 World Athletics Championships: Government Reveals Massive Cash Rewards for Team Kenya

After Harambee Stars were promised millions for wins and draws at the CHAN 2024 tournament, it is now the turn of Team Kenya athletes headed to the 2025 World Athletics Championships.

Harambee Stars reaped big from their run to the quarter-final of CHAN 2024, with each player getting at least Ksh5 million and with a promise o a two-bedroom house, from President William Ruto who has now extended the same gesture to the track and field stars.

While officially handing over the flag to the team in Nairobi on Wednesday the President started by ordering that the athletes’ daily allowance be increased from $60 (Ksh7,740) to $200 (Ksh25,800) and to $300 (Ksh38,700) for officials.

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“You know these people; before they come here, they have gone through hell—early mornings, late evenings, and sacrifices in between. So my instruction is that we increase their pay from 60 to 200 dollars a day,” Ruto told Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya.

The President then announced new bumper rewards for the athletes who will win medals at the World Championships set to begin on September 13 in Tokyo, Japan.

From the new scheme, gold medalists in Tokyo will now earn Ksh3 million each, up from Ksh750,000, silver attracts Ksh2 million from Ksh500,000 while bronze medal winners will pocket Ksh1 million, an increase from the previous Ksh350,000.

“I did commit that we are going to review the rewards for our sportsmen and women. We’ve done it in football and now in athletics. This time, any Kenyan athlete who wins gold in Tokyo will walk home with Sh3 million,” added the President.

Team Kenya will be taking 58 athletes to Tokyo for the global event set to take place from September 13-21 with hopes of improving on their past medal count after managing 10 (three gold, a similar number of silver and four bronze) from 52 athletes at the 2023 edition in Budapest, Hungary.

There are hopes that Kenya will retain both their 1,500m and 5,000m women’s titles, where Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet are the leading lights, as well as the women’s 10,000m crown, while Olympics 800m champions Emmanuel Wanyonyi is being tipped to triumph over the distance as Faith Cherotich carries hopes in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase.