The 22nd annual Sports Personalities of the Year Awards (SOYA) gala will be held at Uhuru Gardens on Friday night with outstanding sportsmen and women in 2025 being crowned in 16 different categories.
World champions Beatrice Chebet and Emmanuel Wanyonyi are favourites to retain their overall Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year awards, which they bagged last year.
The two athletes had an outstanding year in 2025, with Chebet bagging double gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m while Wanyonyi also claimed gold in the 800m at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships.
Chebet is competing for the top honours alongside world champions Faith Kipyegon, Faith Cherotich, Lillian Odira and German-born Kenyan pioneer fencer Alexandra Ndolo.
Wanyonyi has been nominated for the men’s SOYA award together with Harambee Stars forward Ryan Ogam and golfer Njoroge Kibugu.
Other nominees for the men’s gong are Nairobi City Thunder forward Albert Odero and Berlin Marathon champion Sabastian Sawe.
Today’s gala will be graced by Ethiopian former marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie.
The SOYA was founded by five-time world cross-country champion and retired NOC-K president Paul Tergat.
