Marksman demystifies target shooting in Kenya

Kenya made its debut into the Olympic Games in 1956, but not much is retrievable from its archive of sport since the country won no medals in its traditional holds.

However, one significant fact escaped the attention of many. Alongside Kenya' s then budding distance runners were two representatives who participated in target shooting - small bore rifle; the three positions; and the prone rifle events.

Shoaib Vayani, Kenya Regiment Rifle Club (KRRC) Vice-Chairman told Xinhua during an interview on Sunday that sports shooting programs that are run by the association covers those disciplines that are competed at the Olympic Games.

"The lessons cover both the rifle and pistol shooting categories in disciplines from 10 meters to 100 meters," Vayani said in Nairobi.

Vayani, who is also the vice-president of the Africa Sports Shooting Federation is one of the most decorated shooters in Kenya and has followed in the tradition of his late father, Abulgani, who served as chairman of KRRC between 1989 and 2003.

"Our family generation in target shooting spans 60 years. My father as the team captain to the 1978 Commonwealth Games held in Edmonton, Canada, and my brother and 15-year-old son are also shooting adherents," he remarked.

In a country where gun battles between police and gangsters dominate daily news headlines, Vayani and his Kenyan shooting officials are in sort of predicament in their efforts to sustain interest in the sport, especially form the youngsters.

"Target shooting, because it involves the use of firearms, has some red tape attached to it that involves the police, Firearms Bureau and the Ministry of Sports. Therefore parents should not fear to encourage their children to take up target shooting," Vayani said.

Most Kenyan shooters are drawn from the Kenya Defense Forces, Kenya Police and the Kenya Regiment Rifle Club and those who participate in rifle, pistol and shotgun categories alongside the full-bore and small-bore shoots.

Vayani estimates that there are about 200 active shooters in Kenya and over 2,000 social shooters, with the bulk of the active shooters coming from the disciplined forces.

"Shooting is the most popular individual sport in the world, with more shooters than footballers. In Kenya, inadequate finance and lack of equipment have impeded the growth and development of the sport where the cost of setting up a shooting range in the country exceeds 3,000 U.S. dollars," he disclosed.

Even as target shooting in Kenya remains an unremarkable sport among its more prominent cousins like football, athletics and rugby, the sport still holds its ground in terms of tradition with the bigger boys.

Kenyan shooters are the most active on the African continent and have been competing annually in the full-bore events at the Bisley Shooting Competition in Surrey, Britain for many years.

In Africa, Kenya has proved itself a force to reckon with especially in the .22m caliber rifle category, where during continental championships, the country is an invariable podium finisher.

Target shooting started in Kenya in 1906. Some of the best shooters Kenyan has ever produced include Abgulgani Vayani, Anuj Desai, Shoaib Adam, Peter Mathenge, David Okeyo, Sammy Kihara and John Harun Mwau who is also a one-time Member of Parliament.