Plans are well underway for the 21st edition of the prestigious Sports Personality of the Year Awards (SOYA), scheduled for April 16, 2025, at the iconic Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
This year’s gala, with the theme “Celebrating Women’s Excellence in Sports,” will feature awards in 11 categories.
The categories will include; Sportswoman of the Year, Sportsman of the Year, Sportswoman with Disability, Sportsman with Disability, Coach of the Year, Sports Team Women, Sports Team Men, Schools Girls Team, Schools Boys Team, Schools Coach of the Year, and the prestigious Hall of Fame award.
SOYA founder Paul Tergat, shared his enthusiasm for the upcoming event, highlighting the focus on women who excelled in 2024. He expressed his gratitude to the event’s sponsors and partners for their unwavering support over the years.
“The journey doesn’t stop at the gala. We aim to launch initiatives providing long-term support to help athletes manage their careers and plan post-sporting futures,” Tergat said.
Among the top nominees for the coveted Sportswoman of the Year award is Beatrice Chebet, Kenya’s double Olympic gold medalist. The 25-year-old athlete enjoyed a spectacular year in 2024, adding to her already impressive career achievements.
Chebet made history by winning two gold medals at the Paris Olympics in both the 5000m and 10000m races. Additionally, she defended her World Cross Country title in Belgrade, Serbia, and set multiple world records. 10000m world record at the Prefontaine Classic in the U.S., and the 5km world record at the Cursa dels Nassos in Spain.
Chebet’s competition for the top honor includes Olympian Faith Kipyegon, who has continued to dominate in middle-distance running. Kipyegon made headlines by breaking her own 1500m world record by 0.07 seconds, running an astounding 3:49.04. She also won the Olympic gold medal in the 1500m and silver in the 5000m in Paris. Other nominees include marathon champions Ruth Chepngetich and Hellen Obiri, alongside the promising young talent Faith Cherotich.
In the Sportsman of the Year category, boxing champion Boniface Mugunde stands out as one of the top nominees. Mugunde earned Kenya its first African boxing title since 2017, winning the light middleweight title at the Africa Boxing Confederation Championships in Kinshasa, DRC.
He faces stiff competition from other sports luminaries such as Albert Odero, who was named the Kenya Basketball Federation’s Most Valuable Player, and Olympic medalists Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Ronald Kwemoi, and Benson Kipruto, while Wanyonyi broke the world road mile record and also won an Olympic gold in the 800m in Paris. Kipruto clocked the second-fastest marathon time ever at the Tokyo Marathon and claimed bronze in the Paris Olympics.
Sportswoman of the Year
Faith Cherotich
Ruth Chepngetich
Beatrice Chebet
Hellen Obiri
Faith Kipyego
Sports man of the year
Boniface Mugunde
Albert Odero
Benson Kipruto
Emmanuel Wanyonyi
Ronald Kwemoi
Coach of the Year
Abdallah ‘Viduka’ Otieno
Beldin Ademba
Kevin ‘Bling’ Wambua
Salim Babu
Mildred Cheche
Sportswoman with disability
Sheila Wanyonyi
Caroline Wanjira
Mercy Anjenjo
Michelle Chepngetich
Valery Olesia
Sportsman with disability
Samson Ojuka
Kennedy Ogada
Shadrack Kipyegon Mutai
Dedan Ireri Maina
Dennis Cheruiyot
Sports Team Women
Kenya Women Amputee Football Team
Kenya Pipeline
Malkia Strikers
Junior Starlets
Police Bullets
Sports Team Men
Kenya Prisons (Volleyball)
Nairobi Thunder
Rising Stars
Shujaa
Kabras Sugar
School Team Boys
All Saints Embu (Rugby 15s)
Friends School Kamusinga
Musingu Boys High School
Vihiga High School
St Charles Lwanga
School Team Girls
Kesogon Secondary School
St Joseph’s Girls High School Kitale
Butere Girls
Tigoi Girls
Kinale Girls High School
