Kenyan Sport Personality of the Year Awards, also known as SOYA Awards, are annual national awards given for sports personalities and organisations in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

. The awards were initiated in 2004 by

Paul Tergat Paul Kibii Tergat (born 17 June 1969) is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner. He became the first Kenyan man to set the world record in the marathon in 2003, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished l ...

. The awards for each year are held at the beginning of the next year (e.g. 2008 awards took place in January 2009).

Awards winners

:''See footnote''Soya Awards
official website

2004

*Sportsman of the year:

Henry Wanyoike Henry Wanyoike (born 10 May 1974) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. He is blind and competes in the Paralympics and in marathon racing. Early career Wanyoike is one of the world's fastest runners. While still a child he was already being groome ...

(athletics) *Sportswoman of the year:

Catherine Ndereba Catherine Nyambura Ndereba (born 21 July 1972) is a Kenyan marathon runner. She has twice won the marathon at the World Championships in Athletics and won silver medals at the Summer Olympic Games in 2004 and 2008. She is ...

(athletics) *Sports team of the year (men):

Kenya national rugby sevens team The Kenya national rugby sevens team competes in the World Rugby Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games. They are currently one of the 15 "core teams" of the World Series, with a guaranteed place in all 10 events each ...

*Sports team of the year (women): National volleyball team *Most Promising sportsman:

Brimin Kipruto Brimin Kipruto (born 31 July 1985) is a Kenyan professional middle distance runner who specialises in the 3000 metres steeplechase. He was born in Korkitony, Keiyo District. He holds a personal best of 7:53.64 minutes which is the ...

(athletics) *Hall of Fame inductee:

Kipchoge Keino Kipchoge Hezekiah Keino (born 17 January 1940) is a retired Kenyan track and field athlete. He was the chairman of the Kenyan Olympic Committee (KOC) until 29 September 2017. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Keino was among the first in a lon ...

(athletics)

2005

*Sportsman of the year:

Benjamin Limo Benjamin Kipkoech Limo (born 23 August 1974 in Chepkongony, Uasin Gishu) is a Kenyan former middle- and long-distance runner. His races ranged distances from 1500 m to 10,000 m, but Limo mainly competed in 5000 metres, where he has won intern ...

(athletics) *Sportswoman of the year:

(athletics) *Sports team of the year (men): Kenya Chiba Ekiden relay team (athletics) *Sports team of the year (women): National volleyball team *Most Promising sportsman:

Samuel Wanjiru Samuel Kamau Wanjiru (10 November 1986 – 15 May 2011) was a Kenyan long-distance runner who won the 2008 Beijing Olympics Marathon in an Olympic record time of 2:06:32; becoming the first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold in the marathon. He beca ...

(athletics) *Most Promising sportswoman: Veronica Nyaruai Wanjiru (athletics) *Hall of Fame inductee:

Joe Kadenge Joe Kadenge (16 March 1935 – 7 July 2019) was a Kenyan association football, football player and coach. Farayi Mungazi, writing for the BBC, has said that he is "regarded as the finest footballer ever produced by Kenya." Playing career A wing ...

(football) *Sports Federation: Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (general) *Special Edwin Kipchumba (athletics, paralympic)

2006

*Sportsman of the year:

Alex Kipchirchir Alex Kipchirchir Rono (born 26 November 1984 in Sergoit, Uasin Gishu District) is a middle distance runner from Kenya. Career He graduated from Litein High School. He played football and basketball when still at school and did not take up a ...

(athletics) *Sportswoman of the year:

Janeth Jepkosgei Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei (born 13 December 1983) is a Kenyan middle distance runner and former world champion. Early career Janeth, nicknamed "Eldoret Express" is from Kabirirsang, near Kapsabet. Famous athletes Wilson Kipketer and Wilfre ...

(athletics) *Sports team of the year (men): Junior World Cross Country team (athletics) *Sports team of the year (women):

Kenya Commercial Bank KCB Bank Kenya Limited is a financial services provider headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. It is licensed as a commercial bank, by the Central Bank of Kenya, the national banking regulator. The bank has also been running Agency banking mode ...

(volleyball) *Most Promising sportsman: David Dunford (swimming) *Most Promising sportswoman:

Pauline Korikwiang Pauline Chemning Korikwiang (born 1 March 1988) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in track and field, track and cross country running competitions. She rose in the youth ranks in 2005, taking a 3000 metres silver medal a ...

(athletics) *Hall of Fame inductee: Hardial Singh (field hockey) *Sports Federation:

Athletics Kenya Athletics Kenya (AK) is the governing body for the sport of athletics (track and field) in Kenya. It is a member of World Athletics and Confederation of African Athletics. AK organises athletics competitions held in Kenya. It also sends Kenyan tea ...

*Special Francis Thuo (athletics, paralympic)

2007

*Sportsman of the year:

Jason Dunford Jason Edward Dunford, OGW, OLY (born 28 November 1986), also known as Samaki Mkuu, is a Kenyan Olympic swimmer, media personality, rapper and entrepreneur. During his swimming career he was predominantly a butterfly and freestyle sprinter winni ...

(swimming) *Sportswoman of the year:

(athletics) *Sports team of the year (men):

*Sports team of the year (women): Junior World Cross Country team (athletics) *Most Promising sportsman:

Asbel Kiprop Asbel Kipruto Kiprop (born 30 June 1989) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner, who specialises in the 1500 metres. He was awarded the 1500 m gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics after the original winner, Rashid Ramzi, tested positive for ...

(athletics) *Most Promising sportswoman:

Ruth Bosibori Ruth Bosibori Nyangau (also written Ruth Bisibori; born 2 January 1988 in Bosiango) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specializes in the 3000 metres steeplechase. Career In July 2007 she became the first All-Africa Games champion in the e ...

(athletics) *Hall of Fame inductee:

Paul Wekesa Paul Wekesa (born 2 July 1967) is a former professional tennis player from Kenya. He won 3 doubles titles, achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 100 and reached two tour-level quarterfinals at Auckland in 1989 and Seoul in 1995. ...

(tennis) *Sports Federation: Kenya Motorsports Foundation *Special Category (men):

Abraham Tarbei Abraham Cheruiyot Tarbei is a Paralympian athlete from Kenya competing mainly in category T46 middle-distance events. He competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternati ...

(athletics, paralympic) *Special Category (women): Betty Cheruiyot (athletics, paralympic) *Community Hero:

Tegla Loroupe Tegla Chepkite Loroupe (born 9 December 1979) is a Kenyan long-distance track and road runner. She is also a global spokeswoman for peace, women's rights and education. Loroupe holds the world records for 25 and 30 kilometers and previously ...

(athletics, paralympic)

2008

*Sportsman of the year:

(athletics) *Sportswoman of the year:

Pamela Jelimo Pamela Jelimo (born 5 December 1989) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner, specialising in the 800 metres. She won the gold medal in 800 metres at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing at the age of 18. She is the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic gold ...

(athletics) *Sports team of the year (men):

*Sports team of the year (women): Kenya Prisons (volleyball) *Most Promising sportsman: Josephat Bett (athletics) *Most Promising sportswoman:

Achieng Ajulu-Bushell Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell (born 1994 in Warrington, England, UK) is a retired British swimmer, who won the 50m and 100m breaststroke at the 2010 British Swimming Championships. Prior to 2010, she swam internationally for Kenya. Born to a ...

(swimming) *Hall of Fame inductee:

Jonathan Niva Jonathan Niva (16 May 1942 – 12 May 2001) was a Kenyan international footballer who played as a defender. He made 88 appearances for the Kenya national football team, scoring twice. He had a spell as player-manager of the Kenya national footba ...

(football) *Sports Federation:

Kenya Rugby Football Union Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) is the governing body for rugby union in Kenya. It was founded in 1970 and is affiliated to Rugby Africa and the international governing body World Rugby. KRU is responsible for the running of the Kenya national rugby un ...

*Special Category (men): Henry Kiprono Kirwa (athletics, paralympic) *Special Category (women): Mary Nakhumicha Zakayo (athletics, paralympic) *Community Hero: Juma Abdalla Kent (basketball) *Coach of the Year: Julius Kirwa (athletics)

2009

2010

2019

Individual winners

References

External links

Kenyan Sport Personality of the Year AwardsSafaricom are again sponsoring the Safaricom SOYA Awards, to be held on January 15, 2016, in Nairobi, to the tune of Ksh 15M.
{{National Sportsperson of the Year National sportsperson-of-the-year trophies and awards Awards established in 2004 2004 establishments in Kenya

Awards winners

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2019

Individual winners

See also

References

External links