Kenya has long been known to be home of many running champions. As the popularity of distance running grows globally, many recreational and amateur runners are looking to Kenyans for tips on how to run farther and faster. A quick Internet search produces a very long list of articles asking, as Runner’s World puts it, ‘Why are Kenyan distance runners so fast?’ The question does not only stay with running publications either. Major news publications including the BBC, The Guardian, National Public Radio, and The Atlantic magazine have written on the topic.
For PfAL 2 and 3 alumna Navalayo Sarah Osembo Ombati, this growing trend presented an opportunity. She had long been passionate about using sports to spur growth and development in her home country, Kenya, and since graduating with an MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies from the London School of Economics on a PfAL scholarship, she has been dedicated to finding the right way to make a positive impact in Kenya through sport. Her recent social enterprise, Enda, launched a Kickstarter campaign in late May to produce the ‘world’s first Kenyan running shoe’. On June 1, 2016 Enda exceeded its target of $75,000 comfortably and is now seeking to reach its stretch goals. Here she talks to PfAL about Enda – its story, its mission, and how it is bringing the Kenyan spirit into the running industry.
What is the story of Enda?
Enda (which means “Go!” in Swahili) is a social enterprise company making Kenya’s first running shoes. I co-founded it with Weldon Kennedy. We met at an entrepreneurial workshop where I was pitching an idea to start a sports academy in Kenya which grooms children gifted in sports into champions, without compromising their education. We discussed different ideas on the importance of sports in development and Enda is a product of that conversation. We recognized the latent potential of Kenya’s excellent reputation in running and decided to develop a running shoe that not only espouses the great running spirit of Kenya, but also provide a means through which the country can benefit from the global running industry.
