With just days to go before the 25th Summer Deaflympics kick off in Tokyo, Japan (November 15–26, 2025), Team Kenya Deaf has received a major morale boost after the government promised record-breaking rewards for outstanding performances.
During a colorful flag-off ceremony held on Wednesday at the Stadion Hotel, Kasarani, Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi officially sent off the national contingent including athletes, officials, medics and interpreters — who have been training at Kasarani since October 19.
Kenya will compete in five disciplines: athletics, men’s handball, swimming, women’s basketball, and golf. PS Mwangi challenged the team to surpass their 24-medal haul from the 2022 Deaflympics in Brazil, promising that Deaf athletes will now receive the same rewards as their hearing counterparts:
🏅 Gold – KSh 3 million 🥈 Silver – KSh 2 million 🥉 Bronze – KSh 1 million 💥 Record broken – KSh 5 million bonus
“We’ve done our part as government — now it’s your turn to make the country proud,”
Mwangi told the team.
“We believe in you and know you will bring back more medals and break new records.”
In a gesture that thrilled the team, the PS also announced that all gold medalists will fly back home in Business Class — a first in Kenya’s Deaflympics history.
Team Kenya CEO Duncan Kuria expressed confidence that the squad would deliver exceptional results worthy of a State House invitation from President William Ruto.
“We’re going to Tokyo not just to compete, but to win. The flag-off starts here with the PS — but when we return, we’ll take that flag straight to State House with medals,”
Kuria said.
Team co-captains Isaac Atima and Maurine Auma echoed that optimism, pledging to lead the charge toward Kenya’s best-ever performance.
“We’ve trained well and we’re ready to give our best,”
said Atima, a triple bronze medalist in Brazil.
“We will not let our country down,”
added Auma, who also captains the women’s basketball team.
“We want to make Kenya proud and earn that State House visit.”
The 2025 Tokyo Deaflympics marks Kenya’s eighth appearance since debuting in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1997, and expectations are higher than ever.
