David Kapaiko Sekento is a Kenyan middle distance runner who primarily runs in the 1500m and 800m distances. At the moment, he is one of the fastest young runners in Kenya. He was born in a village in Kajiado County and grew up herding his father’s cattle while going to school. He is now a student-athlete at a school in Emali town and trains at the Emali Athletics Camp. He is already a medal winner at every level of Africa and internationally at the age of 17.
David Sekento Age
David Kapaiko Sekento was born on 5 June 2010. He is now 16 years old. He will turn 17 on 5 June 2027. He is a junior athlete, so he still plays in the Under 18 and Under 20 categories. World Athletics, the governing body of athletics, and Kenyan athletics records have verified his date of birth. He is one of the youngest to win a medal for Kenya at a World U20 Championships.
Nationality
David Kapaiko Sekento is from Kenya. He was born and raised in a village called Nanyuki in Kajiado County in Kenya. Kajiado is part of the Rift Valley and adjacent to the capital city, Nairobi. He represents Kenya in international competition. He represented Kenya at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where he was a runner-up in the 1,500 metres. He is also a member of the team of the Republic of Kenya to compete at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal. Kenya has a reputation of having great runners for middle and long distance and Sekento is not an exception.
David Kapaiko Sekento Career
Sekento’s career may be young, but it is already impressive. He competed at the Africa School Games in Algeria in 2025, where he won gold in the 1,500 metres. In 2025, he also had the gold medal in the 1,500 metres at the Africa Youth Games in Angola. He also won another gold at the Under 18 Eastern Africa Athletics Regional Championships. He was also a champion of the 1,500 metres at the East Africa Secondary School Games in 2025 and in 2026 defended his Africa Youth Games title with his Kenya teammates. He has also won gold for Kenya at the Africa Youth Games in 2026, proving his ability to excel both at home and away. He was the winner of the boys 800 metres at the ANOCA Zone V Youth Games in Nairobi in 1:52.55. This was his first win of the 800 metres at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in April 2026, where he recorded 1:46.33 in one report, and his official personal best 800 metres time was 1:50.21 set on 24 April 2026. He competed at the national trials for World U20 Championships in May of 2026 with a time of 3:41.29. His greatest achievement to date was on 9 August 2026 when he won the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA. He crossed the finish in the 1500m heat in 3:43.60, before finishing the final in a personal best of 3:38.32 to grab a silver medal. He was behind his Kenyan team-mate, winner of gold in 3:37.46, Wilson Chepkwech, and Morocco’s Osama Er Redouani who finished with bronze in 3:39.68. It was a two-hitter from Kenya on the podium. With that silver he is a World U20 silver medal, and the World Athletics ranking list for the 1,500 metres places him 239th in the world. It also made his family fortunes as detailed in the Family section. He appeared in the published squad for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games that will be held in Senegal from 31 October to 13 November 2026 in the cities of Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, Kenya as of November 2026. The Games will be the first Olympic games to be held in Africa, and approximately 2,700 athletes aged between 15 and 18 will participate. He will race there in the 800m and his coach has set him a goal of running in the 1.45-1.46 range. He’s studied the races of Kenya’s greats such as Emmanuel Wanyonnyi in the 800 metres and Timothy Cheruiyot in the 1,500 metres and has coached some of them at the Commonwealth trials. His coach has compared his focus in races to that of David Rudisha, the legendary Olympic champion, saying Sekento does not look behind or at the fans during a race. Coach Mutua thinks it will only be a matter of time before Sekento gets to the level of some of Kenya’s top runners.
Family
David Kapaiko Sekento hails from a humble background in a village in Kajiado County. He is the son of a cattle herder, and used to help herd the family herd while also attending school and running. His family were poor. Moving to athletics camp was a pain for them. His father’s cattle were killed in a drought later, causing great worry to the family. Sekento has talked about the impact of athletics on his family’s life openly. The Kenyan government rewarded him with 1.5 million Kenyan shillings, which is equivalent to 11,571 US dollars, for his silver medal at the World U20 Championships. He says, “Athletics has really transformed my family, before there was drought and my father lost all his cattle, now I have bought him more cattle and we have bought good beds to sleep on, and before we had no house to live in, but now I am building a house for my father and mother. His parents’ and siblings’ names have not been released and he does not reveal some family information. It is certain that he has a strong family bond and is able to provide for his family through his success. He attends school in Emali and still balances his studies with training. Before he found his coach, he said he did not have anybody helping him and he is thankful for the help. The young people in his home village are finding inspiration in his story, as they see a boy who used to herd cattle and train with his bare feet on a world championship stage.
Net Worth
The net worth of David Kapaiko Sekento is not published or currently known. He’s 16 years old and a schoolboy, so he’s not a professional footballer or a high-level athlete who is paid a salary. The only money he has received from his sport is the 1.5m Kenyan shillings prize, equivalent of approximately 11,571 US dollars, won by the Kenyan government after he took the silver medal in the 1,500 metres at the 2026 World U20 Championships. He may also have won smaller awards for his gold medals at the Africa School Games, the Africa Youth Games and other regional events, but amounts have never been disclosed. Some of the reward money has already been used to purchase more cattle for his father, and to construct a house for his parents. If he has a net worth of $10 million or more, it’s just a guess. The truth is that his known income is modest, but it has been significant to his family’s lives, and his true wealth is in his talent and future potential in the sport. If he keeps progressing, prize money, sponsorships, and professional contracts could grow quickly, but as of November 2026 none of that is confirmed.