Residents of Kisumu have called on the national and county governments to invest more in cycling sports through provision of quality bicycles and other gears, coaching and grassroots development to improve Kenya’s performance in cycling competitions.

The residents, who turned up in large numbers to watch the ongoing 2026 African Road Cycling Championships in the lakeside city said the championships had offered them an opportunity to appreciate cycling as a sport while exposing the challenges Kenyan riders face in preparing for continental competitions.

Bernard Otieno, a resident of Manyatta in Kisumu, said he was happy that the city had hosted the continental event but was concerned about the performance of Kenyan riders compared with their foreign counterparts.

“We are happy to see the events, the way they are coming, we appreciate, we appreciate that the championships were to brought here, in Kisumu” Otieno remarked.

He said he had been following the competition and observing the challenges facing Kenyan cyclists, particularly the quality and condition of the bicycles they used during the races.

“We are here watching the way the event is going but we are not happy because our riders are not performing well and we attribute this to the quality of the bicycles and gears and poor preparations.

Otieno called on the Government to provide cyclists with quality bicycles and allocate resources to teams to enable them to train and compete effectively.

He argued that athletes needed more than talent and determination to compete successfully, saying the equipment available to them could clearly not march those used by other teams in the competitions.

Otieno said cyclists should not be expected to rely entirely on their personal resources to prepare for competitions, particularly when they needed equipment that was expensive to purchase and maintain to represent the country.

“It is true, when you want somebody to do something good, you have to support that person and the Government should support our riders,” he said.

He added that some Kenyan riders struggled to maintain their bicycles in good condition because of financial constraints.

Otieno urged the Government to support cyclists, saying assistance would encourage athletes to continue developing their talents.

He noted that cycling sport was not as visible in everyday life in Kisumu as other sports and said the championships had given residents an opportunity to see Kenyan riders competing at a continental level.

He called for greater collaboration among the Government, communities and other stakeholders to develop the sport, saying cycling could create opportunities for young people to earn a living.

“We have to sit together as a country, we support them and we give them morale to continue so that we can see the improvement of what we are doing because this is sport,” he said.

Otieno added that sport could provide economic opportunities beyond formal government employment and urged the Kisumu County Government to consider establishing a cycling club to identify and nurture talent among young people.

Otieno said developing cycling at the local level could encourage more young people to participate and help build a foundation for future competitive riders. He also called for greater attention to sporting disciplines beyond football, saying young people should be given opportunities to explore different talents.

Jemima Nyakongo, another Kisumu resident who attended the championships, said the competition had changed her perception of cycling and encouraged her to support children interested in the sport.

Nyakongo said she was born, raised, educated and married in Kisumu and had initially not understood why the event was attracting attention until she came across advertisements on social media.

She said she had followed the races from Tuesday through Friday and decided to attend in person to watch the women’s races at the finish line.

Nyakongo described hosting the continental competition in Kisumu as an opportunity for residents to experience a major sporting event in their home county and see young athletes from different African countries compete.

However, Nyakongo said the enthusiasm she had developed was not necessarily shared by everyone in Kisumu because awareness of the competition remained limited. “It’s been hosted in Kisumu, but it’s a shame that very few know what has happened,” she said.

She said publicity should not be limited to online platforms because not everyone follows the relevant social media pages or has access to the same information.

Nyakongo proposed greater use of television, local administrators and community meetings to inform residents about future sporting events, saying wider publicity would help more people learn about the competition and make arrangements to attend. “Can we do more awareness and more adverts when it comes to this thing” she asked.

She said many residents had become aware of the championships after hearing spectators cheering as cyclists passed through their neighbourhoods.

She said greater community involvement would help build a sense of ownership of sporting events hosted in Kisumu and encourage more people to support athletes.

Nyakongo also raised concerns about the quality of bicycles used by Kenyan riders compared with those of some foreign competitors, saying equipment could affect athletes’ performance even when they had the necessary physical ability and race tactics.

She recalled observing bicycles with features she had not encountered before and questioned whether Kenyan athletes had access to similar equipment.

“When you look at all those bikes, there are others that even had a unique bicycle that I’ve never seen,” she said.

She acknowledged that purchasing expensive bicycles might not be immediately possible for every team but said improving the condition of existing equipment would be a useful starting point.

She however called for investment in coaches, cycling clubs and infrastructure to help nurture talent from an early age.

“Creating clubs and nurturing this talent from a very young age would help,” she said. She added that access to qualified trainers would be important in helping young cyclists develop their abilities.

Nyakongo said Kisumu had demonstrated that it could host the championships and should now consider how to support the sport beyond the event.

“We’ve proved that we can actually host it. So it means that the infrastructure is there. So can we find modalities of embracing and also supporting our athletes this this area”, she said.

The championships are scheduled to continue in Kisumu until October 25, with cyclists competing across various categories.

The championships have attracted a record 32 African countries and 354 riders, compared with 30 countries and 320 riders in the previous edition. The 2024 championships in Kwale County attracted 21 countries.

The participating nations include cycling powerhouses such as Eritrea, Morocco, Egypt and South Africa. Riders will compete for continental titles and Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) points, which contribute to qualification for the Olympic Games.

A community cycling event is also planned for Saturday to encourage public participation and raise awareness of cycling as a sporting discipline.

The competitions which began on Wednesday October 21, will conclude on Sunday, October 25, with the elite men’s road race covering 175 kilometres.

By Mabel Keya- Shikuku and Dorothy Pamella