What It’s Like To … Build a National Skateboarding Movement in Kenya

At the center of a grassroots movement working to bring the sport into the national spotlight is George Zuko, president of the Skateboarding Society of Kenya (SSK). His journey began not on the streets but through pixels—playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater video game at age 12. "I liked how people dressed, how they did tricks, and how free they looked," he tells OkayAfrica. That initial fascination developed into an obsession and, eventually, leadership.

Since 2017, Zuko has transformed SSK into a catalyst for East Africa's skateboarding community. He organizes competitions, mentors youth, and builds regional networks where none existed before. His vision? Olympic qualification for Kenya by 2028.

However, the road is steep: equipment is expensive, skating spaces are scarce, and the Kenyan government still does not officially recognize skateboarding as a sport.

Yet, Zuko remains convinced that skateboarding can do more than win medals. He believes it can transform young lives, carving out space for Kenyan youth within a global subculture that wasn't built with them in mind.

Zuko shares his story with OkayAfrica, reflecting on how skateboarding has reshaped his life—from teaching patience and leadership to creating opportunities for others—and his ongoing mission to redefine the sport's place in Kenyan society.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

George Zuko: I fell in love with skateboarding through a video game. I was 12 years old when I started playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. I liked how people dressed, how they did tricks, and how free they looked. At the time, I had never seen skating in real life, but I knew I wanted to be part of that world.

There was no YouTube then, so my brother and I would go on WikiHow, print out instructions, and teach ourselves tricks. I begged my parents for a board until they finally got me one. It was a simple one, not professional, but it worked. One day, while skating, we met a guy who saw our board and said, "Let me try it." He did this crazy trick, and we were like, "What?!" Then he told us to come and meet other skaters at Nairobi's Uhuru Park that Saturday.

That Saturday changed everything. We found about 30 people skating. Before then, it was just me, my brother, and one other guy with a board I knew of. But that day, we discovered there was a community. And that's what I love about skating here. Although it's not a team sport, we help each other. If someone doesn't have a board or shoes, we try to figure out how to support them.

I became president of the Skateboarding Society of Kenya in 2017. The older skaters who taught us had started families and moved on, so people asked me if I could lead. I was already teaching kids, organizing small events, and helping new skaters at the time, so I agreed.

Since then, we've grown a lot. When I started, we only had one event a year. Now, we do events every month. We also created contests just for girls. Back in the day, there were very few female skaters. Now, around 30 to 40 percent of our crew is women, which is really good.

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This year, I helped organize the first East African Skateboarding Conference. We brought together skaters from Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Somalia. We trained and talked about our challenges and how we can work together in the future.

The big goal is to get Kenya to the Olympics. Skateboarding became an Olympic sport in 2020, and we want to go in 2028. But we're not there yet. The Kenyan government does not recognize us as an official sport. World Skate, the international body, told us we need a national federation. So we're working on that, doing the paperwork, and paying the fees. It takes time, but we believe it can happen.

One of the biggest challenges we face is equipment. A good skateboard can cost between 10,000 ($78) and 20,000 shillings ($156), which is a lot for students or anyone without a job. We help by sharing used boards or getting donations, but it's still hard.

Another problem is finding space to skate. We used to skate at Uhuru Park, but they stopped letting us in after renovating it. For a long time, we didn't have anywhere to go. Then, a shopping center in Nairobi called The Mall allowed us to use their rooftop. We skate there almost every day after 4 pm until the mall closes at 7 pm. That place saved us.

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Still, with all this progress, people leave the sport. Many discover skating during high school or university. But they stop coming after they finish school and start working or have families. That's why we're now trying to create jobs within skating. There's coaching, clothes design, and event organizing so people can earn money and stay involved.

Skateboarding has taught me a lot. I've broken my leg, my ankle, and even my toe. I'm still recovering from an injury that happened last December. But I always come back. Skating taught me patience, leadership, and perseverance, even when things are tough.

One thing I'm proud of is helping kids who didn't have a lot. We took two kids off the streets, helped them get skateboards, and got sponsors to pay their school fees. One of them is about to finish high school. That shows how much skateboarding can change someone's life.

When I started skating, people laughed at me. Even my football friends didn't get it. But I didn't stop. Now, people see us skating at the mall, online, and even in other countries. We want to ensure that by 2028, people can say, "Kenya has Olympic skateboarders." That's the goal we work towards every day.