Uhuru Gardens plays out to more history

Uhuru Gardens, Kenya’s largest memorial park, is a rather serene place just a stone throw away from the world famous Nairobi National Park.

According to the National Museum of Kenya official website the gardens were officially declared a National Monument in 1966. The website goes on to say: “This is where the first Kenyan flag was first raised marking the very first year of independence on the 12th December 1963.”

If you were not in these gardens on Saturday you missed on another story that will add on to the rich history of Kenyan athletics: the crowning of the next kings and queens of world cross country.

For it is invariably at the Kenya trials for the world event that the next title holders are unveiled. Remember Kenyan’s swept the senior men and senior women gold with such panache at the 2013 World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. But first the course.

Because of lack of rains the gardens were rather parched, perhaps anticipating that many dreams flowing in the heads of wannabe champions would dry out and die on this day.

“ We have made it a double loop on a 2km course and added water, a hill and a puddle just to make it that more interesting,” Ibrahim Hussein of Athletics Kenya explained.

TRUE TO FORM AND DESIRE

The course, really, did not matter but the quality of the field. Reigning Kenya cross champion Bedan Karoki, true to form and desire, played his cards to perfection to retain his national senior men 12km title.

“It was tough but I was well prepared. I knew about the course, I knew about my opponents and knew what to do,” the world cross champion in waiting – surely – said at the post race interview.

The women’s senior 8km race was oozing with class and titles – a reigning word cross champ, a former world cross champ, a world half marathon winner, an All Africa Games champ, a Commonwealth Games champ et al.

But none could master the pace of Faith Chepng’etich, who won the same race at the gardens last year. “I thank God and pray to him for success in the championship,” she beamed.

Pity that for such a star studded field of proven and primed world beaters going through one of the toughest national trials on the globe, few Kenyans showed up to watch the event.

Those who did were a witness to the next chapter on Kenya’s cross country history. The men and women who will likely stand at attention on the podium as Kenya’s flag is raised in Guiyan, China where the 2015 World Cross Country Championships will be held.