Mayaka advises upcoming athletes

By Omulo Okoth

As Jefferson Siekei was being interred in his native Nyamira, his mentor sent an impassioned appeal to upcoming athletes to mend their lives.

What was even more worrying to Stephen Mayaka, a Kenyan-born Japanese national involved in recruiting athletes to the Far East, is within two days of Siekei’s fatal accident on Nyamira-Kisii road on his way to a cross country competition, another athlete was involved in a near-fatal road accident, which left his coach in critical condition.

Kimura Sho, a Japanese coach training his athletes in Kenya’s altitudes for the Aidem Company, has been at Aga Khan’s ICU since February 9 when the accident took place near Elburgon. Plans were afoot for him to be airlifted to UK yesterday.

Job Mekubo Mogusu, who was driving, and Cosmas Ontweka, survived with minor injuries. Siekei and his passenger died instantly when their motorcycle came head-on with a track along Nyamira-Kisii road on the morning of February 7.

"Athletes should live easy lives and not get diverted. We have lost good runners because of bad roads, but also reckless driving. This must end or else a whole generation will be lost," said Mayaka, head coach of Souzou Gakuen University track and field club. Lameck Aguta almost died in 1997, only days after winning the Boston Marathon, in Molo. Julius Ondieki and Joseph Otwori, all top athletes in their own right, died in road accidents separately. Former world champion Philip Mosima survived in one of those fatal accidents.

"The company has lost a highly-talented athlete. We shall all miss him," said Kazuya Murakami, General Manager, Marathon Team at Hitachi Cable where Siekei was working.