Senators temporarily halted House business on Tuesday, May 25, to pay tribute to late Kenya international rugby player and coach Benjamin Ayimba who succumbed to Cerebral Malaria last Friday May 21 at Kenyatta Hospital where he was receiving treatment.
Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja who initiated the Session recounted that the late Ayimba is one of those men whose achievements will remain enshrined in the history of kenya rugby and sports at large.
“Apart from the late Ayimba’s notable traits that brought honor to this country, through the rugby sport, the committee recognizes and lauds his tremendous achievements spanning two decades,” the Nairobi Senator narrated before the Senate.
The Nairobi legislator was among the leading figures who helped raise money for the former tactician while he was admitted in hospital after his family came out publicly to ask for help.
Garissa Senator Abdulkadir Haji and his Homa Bay counterpart Moses Kajwang seconded Sakaja's statements by saying that Ayimba will be remembered for his contribution to the growth of rugby as a sport in this country.
The Garissa Senator also urged the Senate to push the government more towards improving the policies on sports so that the country can appreciate its sports men and women more and even reward them better.
Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang regretted that the nation’s value system does not prioritize people like Ayimba who have brought global glory to the Republic would be elevated to the highest levels.
Ayimba’s family has asked for well-wishers to help in raising Ksh 2.7 million that would be geared in settling the pending hospital bill and the funeral expenses as preparations to lay the rugby legend to rest in two weeks continue.