KCB rugby side and Gor among nominees for Soya 2019 team of the year crowning
Two of the most dominant clubs in Kenya’s top-flight rugby and football divisions in the last decade KCB and Gor Mahia are favourites to win this year’s Sports Personality of the Year Awards (SOYA) Men Sports Team of the year gong after they made it to the list of top five nominees.
Others in contention for the trophy to be presented during the awards gala in mombasa on January 24, are the men national basketball team Morans who enjoyed a break out season in the inaugural FIBA AfroCAN tournament staged in Bamako, Bandari who won the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Shield and Beach Tennis team that won bronze in the Africa Beach Games. KCB RFC and Gor Mahia are shoulders ahead of the rest if the scale of their achievements if anything is to go by. The bankers, runners up in the same category last year are back in contention having clinched Kenya Cup for the third year in a row with ease.
The Curtis Olago-coached team won all but one of their games on their way to completing the season’s treble having clinched the National Sevens circuit and Floodlit Tournament. These remarkable performances by the bankers, puts them as one of the favorites for the award.
K’Ogalo on the other hand marched to unprecedented 18th league title and a third consecutive crown.
Gor Mahia also reached the CAF Confederation Cup quarterfinal after finishing second in their group behind Egyptian giants Zamalek who went on to win the title. In so doing Gor Mahia went down as the first Kenyan club to reach that level in modern day continental club football.
While KCB completed an incredible run on local scenes, Gor Mahia missed some steps in the numerous tournaments they participated in. They surrendered the SportPesa Cup to minnows Kariobangi Sharks who went on to play English Premier League side Everton at Kasarani. They also failed to shine in regional club competition CECAFA, dropping out in the quarter-final stage following a 2-1 loss to guest club Green Eagles of Zambia.
Morans, a hurriedly assembled basketball team to represent Kenya in the inaugural FIBA AfrOCAN tournament where they reached the finals.
Morans shocked Egypt in Africa Zone Five Championships to book their tickets to Bamako where they staged giant killing performance enrout to the finals which they narrowly lost to Democratic Republic of Congo. In their wake were African basketball bigwigs Nigeria, Tunisia and Ivory Coast.
Bandari’s only claim to the SOYA gong rests in their victory in FKF Shield that shot them up into the CAF Confederation Cup and a second-place finish in the Kenyan Premier League.
