This Is The Sport Rich Kenyan Kids Have Begun Participating In!

Piece by: Harun Momanyi
Exclusives

Not many people know the sport of fencing. Many are the times when we spend our nights watching rugby tourneys or cheering on our favorite football teams.

This has been a norm for so long such that the most appreciated in Kenya is soccer.

When it comes to deviating from the usual, fencing is slowly taking over the local scene. It is now being taught in major international schools; think of Hillcrest, Pembroke and Cavina.

Business Daily reports that the schools have incorporated the medieval sport into their extra-curricular activities. As much as it seems to be laced with royalty, anyone willing to do the sport can try it out.

For instance, Steve Kyalo is one of the few Kenyans passionate about the sport and has gone the extra mile to learn it to the best of his ability. He trained for taekwondo and after being a champion, he embraced fencing.

He later got a scholarship to master the art in Germany and when he came back, he set up a fencing school in Uthiru. Most of his mentees dropped out due to lack of traction and major competitions that they could participate in but that did not deter Kyalo from moving forward.

He has since received further training in Hungary and gotten more members to train. However, he says that one of the biggest migraines he has to deal with is the expensive gear that trainees need for their safety.

Breeches for instance cost Ksh.7,500, jacket 8,500 and socks 2,500. That's not even the whole trainings set! A single training session costs Ksh. 1,000.

“We source for the uniform from the United Kingdom which makes it expensive so most members buy the gear in bits,” he told BD.

He however sounds optimistic owing to the fact that the Kenya Fencing Association is promoting the art. It recently debuted fencing for the disabled. He has plans to talk with the team so that they sponsor importation of gear.

“We source for the uniform from the United Kingdom which makes it expensive so most members buy the gear in bits,”

The future seems bright for the sport. Time will tell if it'll bloom or disappear into the mist. Read moreon the leading lifestyle site in Kenya.