The athletics scene has been undoubtedly the bread and butter for many Kenyan athletes who have made their marks in the industry.
From legends such as Kipchoge Keino to Eliud Kipchoge, the athletics arena has been dominated by the male gender.
However, in the 1960s, a group of young women defied the odds and became the first Kenyan women to qualify for the Olympic Games.
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Unbeknownst to most, one of the historic ladies is President Uhuru Kenyatta's elder sister, Jeni Kenyatta. She, along with Tecla Chemabwai and Lydia Stephens, was among the first Kenyan women to qualify for the 1968 Olympics- a historic first for a sport that was mainly dominated by men.
The historic achievement changed the perception of many doubters and kicked the proverbial forbidden door as more women joined the sport.
A few years later, the likes of Anne Teith, Sylvia King and the late Orie Rogo Manduli stepped into the scene- becoming part of the women trailblazers who helped establish the Safari Rally sport.
In 1974, Manduli became the first woman of African descent to participate in the East African Safari Rally, cementing the legacy that Jeni and her counterparts had set a few years prior.
Jane Wambui Kenyatta, popularly referred to as Jeni Makena, is the founding President Jomo Kenyatta's daughter and wife to Udi Gecaga. Jeni is the mother of three children; Soiya, Jomo, and Nana Gecaga.
Soiya Gecaga, a renowned philanthropist, runs the 'We the Change' Foundation that seeks to help provide care and support struggling children in the society.
Jomo Gecaga served as the former first officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is currently the Personal secretary to President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Nana, on the other hand, is the child who seemingly followed in the same footsteps as her mother as she tried her hand at the Olympics- qualifying for the 1996 Olympics.
During a past interview, she entailed that her passion was in sports and she would have pursued athletics had it not been for her alcohol addiction.
"The person you see here today has had many lives before who I am today. My passion was actually sports. I was a very big athlete back in the day, and I actually qualified for the 1996 Olympics," she previously stated.
Nana narrated that she was later rehabilitated and overcame her addiction. She currently serves as the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) Managing Director.