Kenya Secondary Schools Games kick off in Kakamega
Businesses is expected to boom in Kakamega County for the next few days as the highly anticipated and explosive Kenya Secondary Schools Games kick off at the Kakamega School grounds this morning through to Saturday.
Stakes are high with a multiple of teams set to battle to their last breaths to get the bragging rights as well as grabbing tickets for East African School Games set for Hayu, Rwanda later this month.
Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Associations Secretary General David Ngugi says all is placed for the start of the competitions with Cabinet Secretary for Education Ezekiel Machogu set to officially open tourneys that will involve football, netball, volleyball, sevens rugby, basketball 3 by 3, tennis, lawn tennis and badminton.
“All the plans are on top gear; teams are already here just waiting for the commencement of respective competitions. This year, we expect an epic showdown here since teams are well prepared as compared to last year when we were just returning for the first time since covid-19. We know Kakamega people love sports and we would like to welcome them all. Security arrangements are a notch higher and we are going to entertain the Kakamega residents through these games,” Ngugi told People Daily Sport.
Hosts and arguably fans favorites Shanderema Secondary who strangled football big wigs in the Western region such as Kakamega High’s Green Commandos and Scorpions of Musingu to get the maiden qualification to the national school games will start the program of the day in an opening match against fellow debutants.
Shanderema which is in Pool A together with Nyanza’s Agoro Sare will have much to prove considering the gained hype thus far and playing at home. It is not clear whether Green Commandos spectators will support their quest for a first school games title or the beef of eliminating them will continue.
“I am excited to have qualified for the national school games for the first time. We are hosting the games and as you know, the last time we hosted Kakamega County won the title.
Therefore, I urge all our fans to come out in large numbers to support us, we are not going to participate but we are going to win the trophy,” said confident Shanderema coach Kevin Asuba ahead of their opening fixture set for a 10 AM kick off.
Homabay’s Agoro Sare who silenced noisy neighbors and rivals Kisumu Day in the Nyanza regions final will seek to show their full potential at a higher scale, plotting for maximum points against a tough fighting Kirangari High School from Kiambu County and representative of Central region at the games.
Open title contenders and five-time winners St Anthony’s Kitale are seeking to reclaim a seemingly lost glory at the competitions.
Coached by experienced tactician Peter Mayoyo, Solidarity Boys have a job to do against Makueni’s Matiliku in a group B match at Kakamega School. Serani Secondary (Coast) and Dagoretti High School (Nairobi) are the other teams in Group B of the boys’ football.
St Anthony last won the title in 2012 after defeating Upper Hill in a mouthwatering final staged in Mombasa.
Newcomers Madira Secondary (The Assassins) have made history by becoming the first ever team to feature in the girls’ football at the national school games from Vihiga County.
Fresh from earning a promotion to the Kenya Football Federation Women’s Premier League and winning Vihiga County’s edition of Safaricom Chapa Dimba, Madira is poised for greatness with their sights set on an East African School games berth despite being debutants.
Captained by dependable play maker Jane Hato, Madira under coach Nick Muleri is in Group B alongside record champions Wiyeta, Mbitini and Lwak Girls.
Pool A of the Girls’s soccer has Red Commandos of Butere, Njambini, Kawangware’s Dagoretti Mixed and Kombani Secondary.
