Growing up on the semi-arid plains of eastern Kenya, Evans Munzaa had planned his future. He envisioned an information technology job, a wife and two children by age 30.
However, the 31-year-old father has not had a formal job since completing college 10 years ago, and he does not live with his daughter and her mother, citing “meager earnings that cannot sustain a family.”
Now Munzaa has taken an interest in the Chinese martial art of kung fu to occupy his time and seeks to become a fulltime coach. He hopes the Kenyan government, which allows kung fu groups to train in its facilities, will grant funding to a sport that is gaining popularity among young people.
Photo: AP
“I have been forced to find ways to survive and earn a daily wage in the informal sector as a thespian, farmer and doing menial jobs despite my widowed mother sacrificing so much to pay my education,” he told reporters while attending a free training at a community hall in Nairobi’s Waithaka neighborhood.
A growing number of young people in Kenya see kung fu as a path toward income. It has emerged as an alternative to the more popular martial art of taekwondo that is part of some school programs in Kenya and has seen some Kenyans compete in international competitions.
The growing visibility of Chinese workers in Kenya for major infrastructure projects has also sparked an interest in their culture in a country globally known for its runners.
Photo: AP
Coach Kennedy Murimi trains dozens of children and young people in Nairobi’s Kawangware neighborhood and has noticed a significant increase in learners.
He said the number of people attending his trainings has tripled in recent months to about 60.
“This year there have been more young people joining us. Most of them are saying they’ve lost their jobs and are trying out kung fu to see if they can become coaches or compete in tournaments and get paid,” Murimi said.
Kenya has an overall unemployment rate of 12.7 percent, but the rate among those under 35 is 67 percent — part of a wider issue across much of Africa’s booming population of young people.
Ngaruiya Njonge is the president of the Kenya Kung Fu Wushu Federation and was first trained in it 30 years ago after being inspired by Chinese martial arts films.
He conducts training near his home in Kiambu county on the outskirts of Nairobi, where rising levels of alcoholism and crime have raised concerns among local leaders.
Elvis Munyasia, one of Njonge’s students, said that kung fu has helped him.
“Without kung fu, I would be an alcoholic right now,” he said. “Doing some drugs and a lot of bad things, maybe theft, but since I started it has changed my life and it has given me a purpose in life.”
In the past five years, about 4,000 students have received free training sessions through kung fu clubs that Njonge has established in 24 public primary schools across Kiambu county.
There is a shortage of coaches for them, he said.
He believes that kung fu teaches discipline, improves health and gives people the skills to defend themselves — not just physically, but also mentally and socially.
A student, Aisha Faith, said she has improved her school grades due to the precision and discipline acquired during training.
“Kung fu has transformed me physically, mentally and academically. I used to be a slow learner, but ever since I began practicing kung fu, I’ve become sharper and faster, which has significantly improved my academic performance,” she said. “It has also helped me steer clear of vices and bad influences, as I now spend most of my time focused on training sessions.”
For Munzaa, kung fu has also been a lifesaver.
He said he once contemplated suicide due to financial constraints, but when he started attending training sessions he gained perseverance skills.
The more he trains, the more “my mind is also training to persevere in life,” he said.
US national team star Folarin Balogun was among the scorers as AS Monaco on Friday won 3-1 at Paris Saint-Germain, dealing a blow to the side from the French capital before they face Chelsea in a crunch UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie. Maghnes Akliouche gave Monaco a first-half lead at the Parc des Princes, and Aleksandr Golovin doubled their advantage early in the second half of the French Ligue 1 clash. Bradley Barcola pulled one back for the reigning European champions, but Balogun struck shortly after with a fifth goal in his last five games as Monaco claimed a precious
Teenage star Lamine Yamal’s superbly-taken goal on Saturday earned Barcelona a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in Spanish La Liga. The champions restored their four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, who had on Friday temporarily closed the gap by beating Celta Vigo. Atletico Madrid tightened their grip on third with an entertaining 3-2 win over Real Sociedad. Yamal, 18, curled into the top corner after 68 minutes to split the sides at Athletic’s San Mames stadium. “We’re already seeing what Lamine can do — he puts it right in the top corner, and there’s nothing the keeper can do,” Barca
Liverpool on Tuesday suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers as Andre’s stoppage-time strike sealed a dramatic victory for the English Premier League’s bottom club. Arne Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike in the closing stages at Molineux. Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level with his first goal in 11 top-flight games dating back to November last year. However, Andre’s first goal for Wolves inflicted the latest humbling loss in a chastening season for Liverpool. It was the first time the Premier League’s bottom club had beaten the reigning champions since Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea in 2017. Liverpool
CHANCE TO QUALIFY: Both teams now have three points from two games, and Taiwan sit ahead of Vietnam and behind Japan, who last night beat India 11-0 Taiwan yesterday defeated Vietnam 1-0 to move into second place in Group C at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup with one match remaining. Su Yu-hsuan scored the decisive goal in the 26th minute after Taiwan midfielder Saki Matsunaga’s shot hit the crossbar, leaving Su to nod the rebound into an empty net for the team which won the last of their three Asian Cup titles in 1981. It was a deserved victory for Taiwan, 2-0 losers to Japan on Wednesday, who created several chances to extend their lead. Vietnam, the 2022 quarter-finalist, beat India in their opener, but struggled to
RSS