Nairobi’s Ngong Racecourse is the only horse racing track in the region. It is now in its 59th year, having replaced the old racecourse in Kariokor.

Up until the late 1980s, Kenyan events would attract jockeys from as far away as Europe but that no longer happens. Kenya also had a jockey academy, but that soon collapsed because the country had a small racing community.

To revive the sport, Kenya sought exchange programmes with South Africa for jockeys and trainers since it is cost effective and nearer than Europe.

The importation of thoroughbred ponies from South Africa that started in the late 1990s has raised the standards of racing, said veteran horse racing journalist Julia Migdoll alias Déjà vu.

Despite the improved standards, the Jockey Club of Kenya is facing challenges that include poor turnout, lack of sponsors and the recent tax imposed by the government on betting and gambling.

Trainers Joe Karari, Nuno Nur and Onesmas Mutia have imported horses from South Africa. The Jockey Club has brought in experts from South Africa to educate Kenyan jockeys and trainers.

John Sercombe, a veteran jockey and trainer from a horse racing family, said Kenya’s horse racing industry would have collapsed without the input from South Africa.

“The proximity to South Africa is advantageous.  South Africa has consistently imported high breed stallions from Europe to improve their stock for racing,” said Sercombe.

For example, last year’s Kenya Derby winner, Just Bluffing, owned by David Armstrong and trained by Nuno Nur and Texuanze Karugu, was sired by South African stallion Badger’s Drift, which won the same race in 2007.

“Horse racing is about the numbers of horses,” said Sercombe, who is also a director at the Jockey Club of Kenya. He said the club needs to intensify its efforts to breed more thoroughbred horses in order to supply races.

“We .need to have six to eight horses in each event, so that at least 60 horses can make it to a championship every Sunday. We really need to increase the number of horse owners,” said Sercombe.

Sercombe noted that the involvement of South Africa has helped since Kenya no longer has a formal jockey academy like South Africa and Zimbabwe do.

Currently, Kenya has up to 200 horses that are actively involved in competitions, with 80 training at breeding stables. Instead of having one person owning several horses, the Jockey Club encourages people to share ownership.

“Only 30 horses were auctioned in July; that is a low figure,” said Sercombe.

Major events like the Kenya Derby have ceased to attract large crowds and Déjà vu attributes it to the lack of sponsorship as well as the domination by certain trainers that has led to the same horses winning. 

In the 1980s, the Jockey Club was an exclusive affair with a membership of just 25.

“One waited for one of the members to die so as to secure a place at the Jockey Club of Kenya as a member, but that is all over now,” said Sercombe. “Membership has been enlarged and we are no longer waiting for people to die.”

Membership now stands at 90, not just for horse racing but also at the Golf Park Club and Forest Conservancy. 

The Jockey Club has now turned to social media, and is on both Facebook and Twitter. “We want to attract and appeal to a young audience by putting up musical and fashion shows, kids entertainment and many other events during and after the races at sponsored events,” said Sercombe.

The club plans to televise the races like they do in South Africa, to attract more betting shops, but the recent taxation imposed on betting has slowed activity.

Relaying live images would cost Ksh250,000 ($2,900) for a single meeting; prize money for each of the seven races in a meeting is Ksh60,000 ($680). Sercombe said that the entry fee can’t bridge the gap, considering that the Jockey Club has staffers, jockeys, and horses to look after.

Betting in horse racing benefits trainers, breeders, jockeys and the club. “The betting tax is affecting the races,” said Sercombe.

Déjà vu said Kenyan races are low key because, “Ngong is difficult to reach due to traffic congestion at Dagoretti Corner. Believe it or not, that five-minute drive can take an hour,” she said.

Larry Ngala, who has written about horse racing since the 1970s, says the club needs to change its style of administration if they want to attract sponsors and crowds to their meetings.

“Communication in terms of news dissemination is still a major problem at the Jockey Club. They keep vital information from the public and the media,” said Ngala. “Jockeys, trainers and owners rarely talk and I wonder how they can sell their story.”

Ngala said Kenya Derby used to attract more than 5,000 spectators but to date it only lure a handful.

“It’s not just a matter of employing a marketer, it goes beyond that. Jockeys, trainers, owners and breeders must tell their stories to liven up the industry. The public need to know what is happening with Jockey Club of Kenya,” said Ngala.