With the need to secure their future, world beating athletes are changing the skylines of Eldoret town with their investments.
The town is literally a picturesque of world major cities, harboring buildings and businesses named after world major cities where they won their fortunes in athletics.
From New York to Johannesburg; Rotterdam to Rieti and Chicago to Mexico then Berlin Centre to El Pariso in Spain –all welcome you to Eldoret.
The town, which is billed as the City of Champions, now glows with the marathon dollars thanks to athletics talent glut.
You will see Mexico Centre, Rotterdam Centre and El Pariso Restaurant on the Iten Road. Then GrandPri Hospital, Johannesburg Plaza, Rieti House and Chicago centre in downtown.
Eldoret has experienced rapid change since its inception as railway station Number 64 in colonial times. There is Berlin Centre, a sprawling housing unit in Kimumu, on the sidelines of Eldoret.
The town boasts of multi-million shilling modern buildings that have drastically changed its skyline, making it a vibrant commercial hub linked by road and rail to the rest of East and Central Africa.
In the town’s central business district, there are at least 20 commercial buildings owned by the athletes, who either come from the area or who migrated to the region.
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| Komora centre.Photo/Standard. |
They include the Komora Centre, owned by three time world 3,000m steeplechase champion Moses Kiptanui, and the GrandPri Building which hosts Cancer Texas Centre, which belongs to two-time Boston Marathon winner Moses Tanui.
Kiptanui, who also owns the Komora Estate in London, United Kingdom and Utamaduni House along Kenyatta Street in Eldoret, was the first man to run the steeplechase in under eight minutes, while Tanui was the first to run a half marathon in less than an hour.
Komora Centre was named after Komora village in Marakwet which is known for producing the world’s best steeplechase runners.
“As an active athlete, you must understand that athletics is a short term career. You should make enough savings and look at life retirement. Factor in injuries in between and that will make you start investing from the onset,” said Kiptanui.
“While you invest, look at the bigger picture of the business; its viability on whether it can trickle down to many generations.”
Kiptanui also owns Tulin Supermarkets, a chain of supermarkets spread across the North Rift region.
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| GrandPri.Photo/Standard. |
Tanui was among the first to win IAAF Grand Prix races and thus derived his building’s name, GrandPri.
Laban Rotich, a former 1,500m runner, won the prestigious IAAF World Cup 1,500m final in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1998.
And since the World Cup stood out as the biggest win in his athletics career, he named the building Johannesburg Plaza, which is at the junction of Oloo and Nandi streets.
Evans Cheruiyot, the 2008 Chicago Marathon winner, dedicated his Rotterdam Centre to his half marathon victory in Rotterdam in 2007.
The runners are also involved in building houses for rent on the outskirts of Eldoret. Military Games sensation Sammy Kipketer owns a four-storey building next to Iten bus terminus while Ibrahim Hussein, the first African to win the New York marathon, owns a building at the heart of the town.
The 1999 Amsterdam Marathon winner Fred Kiprop owns Kirem Arcade that houses K-Rep Bank.
Three-time London Marathon winner Martin Lel also has a building in town while James Kipsang Kwambai, the second best marathoner in the world, has bought a plot near Moi Street which he is planning to develop.
Daniel Kipng’etich Komen, the current 3,000m and two-mile world record holder who is still the only man alive to run two miles under eight minutes, has invested in a private school, Potters Academy.
There are five sports grounds and nine schools as well as a number of filling stations owned by the athletes.
The legendary Kipchoge Keino who runs the International Olympic Committee of Kenya has funded Kipkeino High School located next to the IOC/IAAF High Performance Training Centre. He also owns Kip Keino Sports House.
With these, Eldoret and its surrounding areas are seeing a property boom — and it is Kenya’s sportsmen and women who are setting the pace.
Vivian Cheruiyot, the Olympic 5,000m champion, has investments in Eldoret and Nairobi that include an apartment block in Eldoret and homes in Nairobi and Eldoret’s high end Elgon View Estate. She also owns Oslo Petrol Station situated along Nairobi Road. She named it Oslo in remembrance of her wins in 3,000m and 5,000m at the Oslo Diamond League meets.
Noah Ngeny, the 2000 Olympic 1500m champion, said athletes must take athletics as a full time job to get full earnings.
“It’s sad that most athletes take it as a by the way. It’s a big enterprise. Once you earn, invest immediately. But money should not lure one into things they can't manage.
“We do sport to fly our flag high. Let’s not mix athletics with other business. Some do farming, practice in other jobs but athletics should be our priority to succeed,” said Ngeny.
“As a soldier, I have learnt a lot in the Kenya Defence Forces. Most of my seniors who are younger than me are highly educated. I pick a lot of lessons from them especially in terms of investment."He said.
Additional reporting by The Standard.