Some members of parliament in Nyanza, Lake victoria region, Western Kenya want night runners to be arrested and arraigned in court.
They say that the business of night running is becoming a nuisance to residents who have to cope with people running at night.
The leaders are asking the county government not to fund the night runners who claim that theirs is a sport like the rest and the government should consider funding it.
Night-running is a traditional activity that involves feats of naked athletic prowess.
In a story published by the Standard online, leaders from that region want night runners who have even sought national recognition to fund their self styled lifestyle to be stopped in their tracks.
The legislators have even questioned the legitimacy of the purported night runners.
For many years, night-runners have operated under cover. However, they are now putting on a brave face and are coming out to push for their rights.
Jack Songo, aka Moses Okinyi, the president of Night Runners Organisation, recently shocked many Kenyans when he demanded that the government recognises night-running as a sporting activity.Songo told Kenyan media that night-runners, unlike thieves, do not harm anyone as they go about their business.
Songo said the government should recognise night-running under the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Art.
“It is unfortunate that we have been discriminated against for a long time yet we do not harm anybody. It is important for the government to categorise our pastime as a sporting activity,” Songo says.
He adds that part of the funds set aside for the ministry of sports should be channeled to the night-runners associations.
The nocturnal practice of running around communities is carried out across Africa’s Lake Victoria region. Closely associated with witchcraft, it sometimes involves running with tamed wild animals for security.
Families who engage in it are often both shunned and revered by their communities for their supposed magical powers but many accuse night-runners of practical jokes and house-breaking.
Video by Kenya’s citizen TV
