Eliud Kipchoge stood inside a freshly stocked Nike store in Westlands on Wednesday evening, surrounded by racks of Alphaflys and Vaporflys, and called the moment a milestone for Kenya. The store at the Sarit Centre is Nike’s first physical retail location in East Africa.
The opening drew athletes, federation officials and members of Nairobi’s running scene. Athletics Kenya president Lt-Gen (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei was there. So was Team Kenya First Deputy President Barnaba Korir. Kipchoge, who has worn the swoosh since 2003, joined a panel with local runners.
For the two-time Olympic marathon champion, the launch felt personal.
“I’ve been with Nike for the past 23 years, and this is a massive achievement for the citizens of this country,” Kipchoge said. “This is the first shop in East Africa, and it’s a huge milestone. I’m a really happy man because this is also the first shop in Kenya, and I believe I have left a legacy.”
A long search for the right address
Nike Kenya General Manager Kieran Murphy said the company had been hunting for a Nairobi location since 2024. He framed it as a slow-cooked decision, not a quick land grab.
“We started looking for a site two years ago. It has taken us that long to find the right location, the right site and the right capacity,” Murphy said. “We believe that the Kenyan market and the broader East African region is ready for the products Nike has.”
Sticker shock is a real concern in a market where premium racing shoes can cost more than a month’s rent. Murphy said the store will carry products at different price points. “It’s expensive for a certain level of income, but we are very cautious of pricing here in Kenya,” he said.
Nike plans to move quickly. “In one year, we expect to have three stores. This is just the first step of what we are building here in Kenya,” Murphy said. The launch was led by Hudson Brand Development Kenya, Nike’s distributor partner across the continent.
The brand’s footprint in Kenyan athletics is already deep. Nike has been the official kit supplier for the National Olympic Committee of Kenya and Athletics Kenya since 1993. The current agreement runs through 2028.
The Kipchoge Collection on the shelves
The Sarit Centre store carries the Kipchoge Nike Collection, the signature line launched on August 31, 2023. The Alphafly 3 and Vaporfly 4 “EK” racing shoes are the headline products, both engraved with Kipchoge’s initials and tied to his “No Human Is Limited” mantra.
Kipchoge has spent roughly 13 years inside Nike’s innovation arm, helping test the carbon-plated prototypes that became the Vaporfly and Alphafly families. Those shoes triggered an arms race across the running industry that has not let up.
“Nike in Kenya represents innovation. The genesis of innovation, the genesis of the fastest shoes, began with Nike,” Kipchoge said. “Thirteen years ago, we tested ourselves, and now everyone has adopted that mechanism. Nike ignited that fire.”
He also used the platform to lobby for something Kenyan runners have wanted for years: an Abbott World Marathon Major on the continent. None of the current Majors are held in Africa, though the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is a candidate race for inclusion.
“I’m also praying that we have a World Major Marathon in Africa, which will also be a legacy, that’s what the sport is all about,” Kipchoge said. “I want to inspire the next generation, and I want to mentor them to love the sport. Running makes you free, that’s where freedom is.”
