Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL), through its flagship beer brand Tusker, has today awarded KSh500,000 to three winners of the Team Kenya travel kit design competition that was organized in collaboration with the National Olympic Committee of Kenya and the Kenya Fashion Council.

The three, Allan Mmbasu, Samchi Digital and Phillip Muthuni received KSh250,000, KSh150,000 and KSh100,000 cash prizes for emerging winners in their respective categories.

Allan, of Kingeley Agencies, was crowned the overall Team Kenya Travel Kit design competition winner for his design concept for the travel clothing category wile Samchi Digital were overall winners in the accessories category. Phillip took home the top prize for the travel footwear category.

The one-month long competition, which saw over 100 top and upcoming Kenyan designers participate, was aimed to generate a collaborative Kenyan national attire that showcased the country’s local creative talents.

The selection process included a pre-qualification stage and a final selection by a panel of designers, Team Kenya captains and national public voting mechanic.

Speaking during the official handover of the kit to NOCK, East African Breweries Limited, Marketing and Innovations Director, Graham Villiers-Tuthill shared his joy at the process that saw Kenyans unite to provide Team Kenya with national attire they would don as they travel to the Tokyo Olympics.

“We are here today to acknowledge these great artists that came together to design the fabulous Team Kenya Travel Kit. The large number of entries and the positive feedback we have already seen is a validation of the wealth of talent we have in Kenya as well as unearth several new designers boding well for the future of the local creative industry.”

He added that the competition also allowed the company to support the arts sector in line with the recently launched Kenya Milele Campaign that seeks to celebrate and support Kenyans from all walks of life and their indomitable spirit. “Through this competition we also wanted to show our support to our artists and challenge them to be better. This is in line with our Kenya Milele campaign that is all about celebrating the best of Kenya and Kenyans,” he added.

NOCK President Paul Tergat said the competition was the perfect way to come up with the design, noting that it was a product of Kenya.

“I salute our Partners, Kenya Breweries Ltd for the innovative approach in the coming up of Team Kenya Olympics Travel Kit. By opening up the space for Kenyans to creatively design the kit, the Tusker brand reinforced this year’s Olympic’s rallying call under #YouAreTheReason that the Games gives every Kenyan an opportunity to celebrate our collective dreams, aspirations and solidarity under our gallant Team to Tokyo.,” said Tergat.

He added: “I salute the designers for their unique and beautiful propositions which Tusker used to give our athletes attractive travel kit to Kurume. You have contributed immensely to the overall preparations and eventual performance at the Olympic Games.”

Speaking also on the design, Lucy Rao of the Kenya Fashion Council that presided over the design process shared their gratitude and positivity for future engagements with both NOCK and Kenya Breweries.

“We have been overwhelmed by the positive feedback from our creative community for the process. We believe that this synergy between sports and arts will provide new opportunities for the local arts community to express themselves. We hope to collaborate with brands like Tusker to provide further opportunities for our Kenyan designers,” she said.

KBL, through its flagship beer brand Tusker, announced a sponsorship for Team Kenya to the tune of KSh45 million. Key elements of the sponsorship have included the design and production of the team’s official travel kit and the recently launched Cheer Our Champions promotion to rally support for the team as they prepare and participate at the Olympics. Consumers can purchase any Tusker and SMS 29844 for a chance to not only win prizes but also leave a message of support for our athletes.