Bounty Kenyan harvest from Fiba Zone 5 tourney

Equity Bank Hawks' Mercy Wanyama (right) shields the ball from KPA's Yvonne Akinyi during their Kenya Basketball Federation women's Premier League play-off game five finals on February 13, 2017 at Nyayo Stadium. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |

What you need to know:

  • For the second year running,  Kenya women basketball teams dominated the Fiba Africa Zone Five Championships taking the top two spots to qualify for the Africa finals set for Angola next month.
  • In Dar es Salaam last year, KPA and United States International University ( USIU ) finished first and second respectively to book their tickets to Mozambique, while Ulinzi Warriors were second in the men’s category.
  • This year in Kampala, with three teams at the event among them KPA and Equity women and KPA men,  the Kenyan sides scooped a record six trophies.

For the second year running,  Kenya women basketball teams dominated the Fiba Africa Zone Five Championships taking the top two spots to qualify for the Africa finals set for Angola next month.

In Dar es Salaam last year, KPA and United States International University ( USIU ) finished first and second respectively to book their tickets to Mozambique, while Ulinzi Warriors were second in the men’s category.

This year in Kampala, with three teams at the event among them KPA and Equity women and KPA men,  the Kenyan sides scooped a record six trophies.

Apart from the women’s winners and runners-up trophies, KPA men returned home with the men’s position three trophy,  Natalie Akinyi, KPA points guard was voted Most Valuable Players and Best Point Guard while Mercy Wanyama, younger sister to Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder Victor, was named Championships Best Forward.

Another Kenyan, Vilma Achieng, featuring for Uganda Christian University (UCU),  scooped three top awards, the Best Centre player, the Best Rebounder and championship’s Top Scorer.

The week long event attracted seven women and eight men teams.

KPA women’s team were by all standards the surprise package of the tournament defying all the odds to retain the trophy.

They beat among others sides Kenya champions Equity Bank who finished second.

With only one men’s team, KPA, in Kampala after both Co-op Bank and Ulinzi Warriors failed to get approval to travel,  a third place finish by the dockers was commendable.