Senate pays tribute to Ayimba

The Senate on Tuesday afternoon eulogized former Kenya Sevens head coach Benjamin Ayimba as a hero who should be given a decent sendoff and his family supported to clear the pending hospital bill of Sh2.7 million.

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei urged the Government through the Ministry of Sports to use more Kenyan sportsmen and women as brand ambassadors for different government projects so as not to allow many of them suffer after they have quit sports.

“Ayimba made Kenyan rugby famous. Most success of the Kenya Sevens team is celebrated because of the hard work he put in during his days as the head coach. It’s high time such heroes should be celebrated more when they are alive. He deserves to be honoured in a big way.

It’s important for the Ministry of Sports in conjunction with the National Government to make our sports heroes brand ambassadors of our country in a bigger way,” said Senator Cherargei.

At the same time Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja promised to liaise with the Ministry of Sports and the County Government of Nairobi to name one of the sporting facilities in the newly constructed Jamhuri Sports Complex after the late Ayimba.

“The country government of Nairobi will hold talks with the Ministry of Sports to see how one of the sporting facilities at the newly constructed Jamhuri Sports Complex can be named after Ayimba because he truly deserves to be honoured in a bigger way,” added Sakaja.

Ayimba who succumbed to cerebral malaria on Saturday at Kenyatta National Hospital will be laid to rest in two weeks’ time; this is according to the family spokesperson and former teammate Oscar Osir.