By Brigid Chebet
A quiet revolution is taking place in Kenya’s athletics landscape one rooted not only in medals and records, but in community, sustainability, and vision.
When Coach Barnabas Kitilit began involving athletes at Torongo Camp in farming activities, not everyone understood his mission.
Some critics began to whisper that athletes were being used for labor on his personal farm.
But beneath the misunderstanding was a deeply rooted strategy for survival and self-reliance.
Torongo Camp, under Kitilit’s leadership, remains the only training camp in all of Baringo County that brings together young athletes from various constituencies. Parents, teachers, and youth constantly seek space in the camp, trusting Kitilit’s discipline and coaching philosophy.

Way to sustain itself
With no steady funding or sponsorship because of the exceeding numbers, the camp found a way to sustain itself by growing its own food.
Athletes cultivated maize, beans and vegetables not as laborers, but as a team learning resilience, life skills, and unity.
It was a model of using what was available to ensure athletes stayed focused and nourished, both physically and mentally.
Now, that grassroots spirit is being echoed and scaled by the Kenya Athletics Training Academy (KATA) in Bomet County through a bold model that combines sport and sustainability.
KATA was founded by Bob Anderson, an accomplished American runner and visionary who launched Runner’s World magazine and later My Best Runs.
A lifelong athlete and advocate of long-distance running, Anderson visited Kenya in 2014 and was deeply moved by the raw talent and untapped potential across rural regions.
saw a path that few others in athletic management had envisioned a system that not only trains champions but empowers them economically.
Deep commitment to athlete welfare
Working alongside respected Kenyan figures such as Paul Kipsiele Koech, the legendary steeplechaser who has run 110 times under 8:10 in international races, KATA has grown into a nationwide initiative with 12 athletics camps.
Kipsiele, who now runs both Injerian Athletics Club and Kipsiele Athletics Club, brings not only world class experience but a deep commitment to athlete welfare and rural empowerment.
Under Anderson’s leadership, KATA launched a transformative economic empowerment program: each camp received a one-time financial injection to support the cultivation of three acres of potato farmland.
The income generated from farming is used to manage camp operations, cover essential bills, and promote long-term sustainability.
This approach equips athletes not only for the podium, but for life beyond the track.
Standout beneficiaries in South Rift
Kuresoi Camp, managed by Edwin Soi, the 5,000m bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, now dedicates his experience and leadership to mentoring the next generation blending elite training with community-focused development.
Coach Charles Ngeno of Keringet, widely respected for mentoring a young Faith Kipyegon, continues his impactful grassroots work, ensuring that even the most rural talents have access to structured training and economic stability.
These stories from Torongo in Baringo to Keringet, Kuresoi and Bomet reflect a powerful evolution in Kenya’s athletics.
No longer is the focus solely on winning medals.
The new vision embraces sustainability, resilience, and empowerment ensuring that our athletes thrive both on and off the field.
This is not just sports development.
It is a model of rural transformation through athletics.
And Kenya may finally have found a winning formula for generations to come.

Brigid Chebet Ngeno is a sports scientist with a strong background in athletics from primary through high school. She is passionate about athlete education, sports scholarships, grassroots empowerment, branding, advocacy, and fighting gender-based violence. Her mission is to ensure every athlete has the opportunity to thrive both on and off the track.
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