KAIKAI’S KICKER: Our athletes, our anthem and our flag

On my kicker tonight; we Kenyans, once again and as always owe our athletes, immense gratitude. Without surprise, the World Athletics Championship in Tokyo Japan is gifting us with those rare moments as a nation and a people – those rare moments when greatness, pride and patriotic sentiment converge and present Kenyans with what is without doubt, our collective best feeling.

To our glorious athletes in Tokyo, we are proud of you and immeasurably grateful for the honour you bring our nation. Kenya tonight sits a proud second place on the medals table courtesy of the individual brilliance of our world beating athletes. And we know, this is not the first time and most certainly not the last time.

Coincidentally, it was in Tokyo, Japan, way back in 1964 that Kenya started winning athletics medals when Wilson Kiprugut won a bronze medal in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. More medals followed in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico when legends Kipchoge Keino, Naftali Temu and Amos Biwott gave Kenya its first gold medals. From then on, joy has been assured for Kenyans at literally any global competition as athletics became a uniquely Kenyan forte, in the same way football is a Brazilian area of expertise.

Now, in a country whose national affairs are often clouded under a dense negative atmosphere, athletics, and indeed football just the other day, provides a much-needed gust of fresh air. There is something about that sound of our national anthem during those medal presentation ceremonies. The melody in Tokyo for whatever reason, sounds different from the same rendition in Nairobi.

Then there’s our flag. Something happens to those colours when they land in the glorious hands of Faith Kipyegon! The red, green, black and white acquire this sudden, overpowering sparkle that automatically activates our tear-glands. There is this sharp contrast between that flag on Faith Cherotich’s shoulders and the one flapping from the bonnets of politicians’ cars in Nairobi. I agree, both flags may trigger that well of tears, but for equally contrasting reasons.

This contrast, fellow Kenyans, must be put under some sharp scrutiny. Why, we must ask. Why is our national anthem sounding better in Tokyo than it does in Nairobi? Why is our flag such a magical sight in the hands of our athletes and an eyesore in some other hands? These contrasts tell us something is amiss; and something must be fixed to make our anthem sound the same anytime anywhere, and our flag beautiful and glorious anytime, anywhere.

As symbols of our national identity in sports or international events, diplomacy or war – our flag and our anthem survives on nothing else but, honor. And that explains the contrast between our flag and anthem in Tokyo and our flag and anthem in Nairobi. For the honor they bring our flag, anthem and country, our athletes and other sportsmen deserve our utmost admiration.