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President Yoweri Museveni has gifted all the Ugandan athletes who brought medals from the Olympics brand new cars.
Museveni held an event to welcome the country’s Olympics team after Uganda became second to Kenya in the Tokyo games.
Uganda managed a total of four medals from the summer games; a Gold and Silver by Joshua Cheptegei in the Men’s 5000m and 10,000 Meters respectively; Gold for Peruth Chemutai in the Women’s 3000 Steeple Chase, as well as Jacob Kiplimo who won Bronze in the Men’s 10000 meters.
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New cars awaiting Ugandan athletes who won medals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
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The three brand new vehicles will be awarded as follow; two Mitsubishi Outlanders for the gold winners and a Mitsubishi L200 for Kiplimo.
Uganda Inspector General of Police Martins Okoth Ochola directed the Police Authority and Police Council to promote the two athletes Joshua Cheptegei and Peruth Chemutai who are current officers in the Force, for their outstanding performance in the Olympics.
In his speech, Museveni reiterated that all athletes who win continental medals such as African championships, Commonwealth Games and Olympics should be paid a monthly salary of 5 million Ugandan shillings (gold), 3 million (silver) and 1 million (bronze).
“This is my small way to support athletes without the billions Kenya has. I’m still busy building the foundations. We lost a lot of time in past regimes of Idi Amin but we can manage. Even a poor man can manage to look after his home,” Museveni said.
"These ones who have won Olympic medals, in my happiness...because I am a happy man and happy men can be very generous, I will give each one of them a vehicle," he added.
Team Uganda’s welcome is a sharp contrast to Team Kenya which performed much better by bringing home 10 medals compared to Uganda’s 4.
Kenyans On Twitter (KOT) expressed discontentment in the manner which team Kenya was received, despite their stellar performance and emerging the best in Africa. Their efforts went uncelebrated by the Kenyan government.
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Marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge
As that is not enough, Kenyans also woke up to a sponsored hashtag #AsanteCSAmina, which has been described as a mockery to the athletes who represented the country in Tokyo and got ignored upon returning home.
Kenya's perfomance at the Tokyo games
Gold medalists
Faith Kipyegon - Women’s 1500m
Peres Jepchirchir - Women’s marathon
Silver medalists
Hellen Obiri - Women’s 5000m
Ferguson Rotich - Men’s 800m
Brigid Kosgei - Women’s marathon
Timothy Cheruiyot - Men’s 1500m
Bronze medalists
Benjamin Kigen - Men’s 3000m steeplechase
Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi - Women’s 3000m steeplechase