News

By KASS MTV Sports
September 30, 2026 | Kitale, Kenya

Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala has expanded his grassroots athletics development programme with the launch of a new Omanyala Sprints Club at St Joseph’s Boys National School, Kitale.

The initiative is part of Omanyala’s broader effort to establish structured sprint programmes in schools and create a pathway for young athletes to develop their talent from the grassroots to elite competition.

The Kitale launch comes shortly after Omanyala established a similar club at his former school, Friends School Kamusinga, as he continues his schools tour across Western Kenya.

For Omanyala, the partnership with St Joseph’s Boys is the culmination of discussions that have been ongoing for almost two years.

“I am feeling happy and blessed because we have been having these conversations now for almost two years and I am glad that now we have finally actualized it,” Omanyala said.

Omanyala Targets Future Sprint Stars

The African 100m record holder expressed confidence that the programme will help produce sprinters capable of competing at school, regional and international levels.

“It will be my joy to see sprinters emerge from here, I am sure they will. I am grateful to the Principal, he is a great friend and it was easy for me to reach out and say that I was coming and all this happened,” he added.

Known for allowing his performances to speak for themselves, Omanyala challenged the new programme to demonstrate measurable results on the track.

“I do not like talking too much, I like my actions speaking for themselves, so let us meet here again next year after the East Africa school games and see the impact that we have made from our side and the coaches side in terms of technical expertise,” he said.

A 9.77 Connection

The launch also produced an unusual connection between Omanyala and St Joseph’s Boys Kitale.

Omanyala holds the African 100m record of 9.77 seconds, while he was informed that the school recorded a 9.77 mean score in last year’s Form Four examinations.

“I feel like the connection was just meant to happen. Last year, I was told that the form fours had a mean score of 9:77, and my African record is 9:77,” Omanyala said.

The sprinter, however, expects both figures to eventually change as the school and his own career pursue new targets.

“But I believe this year it will be something different, and of course even for me next year I will be targeting something different, so all of that will be erased at some point,” he added.

Omanyala described the coincidence as a connection he does not believe happened by chance.

Talent Scouting Beyond Kitale

The Sprints Club will not be restricted to students currently enrolled at St Joseph’s Boys.

Omanyala said the programme will also identify promising athletes from different parts of the country, including students completing Grade Nine, subject to the school’s approval.

“I am looking forward to impacting not just students who are currently in this school, but also to bring talented students from grade nine. We will go and scout from the regional level, and bring them here, with of course the permission of the school,” he said.

As a national school, St Joseph’s Boys Kitale offers an opportunity to bring together talented students from across Kenya.

“This is a national school, and it is breeding all kinds of students from all over the country. So, this is something that we are going to spread across the country and develop talents. Different communities will be touched by this,” Omanyala said.

Focus on Coaching and Technical Development

The programme is designed to offer young athletes more than simply an opportunity to compete.

Through structured coaching, technical training, talent identification and mentorship, the Sprints Club aims to help promising athletes develop the skills required to progress from school athletics to higher levels of competition.

St Joseph’s Boys Chief Principal Cosmas Stephen Simiyu Nabungolo welcomed the partnership, saying it gives the school an opportunity to strengthen its athletics programme.

“I want to thank Ferdinand Omanyala for launching this Sprints Club at this school. The boys are elated, we are all very happy,” Nabungolo said.

The principal said the initiative could help the school identify and develop sprinting talent that had previously received limited investment.

“This will give us an opportunity to showcase our athletics talent, especially the sprints. For a long time we have not been investing in athletics and in the sprints, but now we are privileged to have the Omanyala Foundation preparing our students on matters sprints so that they can be good athletes,” he said.

St Joseph’s Boys Eyes East African Competition

Nabungolo also expressed optimism that the programme could help produce athletes capable of competing at the East African level.

“On behalf of this school, I am very grateful for this opportunity. Come next year, we look forward to having even more talents in the school, who will compete up to the East African level in Rwanda,” he said.

The principal described the partnership as an example of how schools and sports development programmes can work together to nurture young talent.

“This is how to nurture talent. We do not take it for granted. We have a platform to grow and harness athletics, thanks to our own Ferdinand Omanyala,” Nabungolo said.

Building Omanyala’s Grassroots Legacy

The launch at St Joseph’s Boys adds to Omanyala’s growing network of school-based sprint programmes.

The sprinter is seeking to establish a national grassroots system that can identify talented athletes early, provide them with technical support and create a pathway from school athletics to elite competition.

Omanyala has previously spoken about discovering his sprinting potential relatively late after initially focusing on rugby during his school years.

His Sprints Club initiative is therefore aimed at giving the next generation access to structured coaching, mentorship and opportunities at an earlier stage.

The long-term ambition is to build a pipeline of young Kenyan sprinters capable of progressing from school competitions to regional, continental and international athletics.