Kenya seeks to extend reign

Kenyan teams are out to continue their dominance in the East Africa Secondary School Championships as this year’s edition gets underway on Sunday.

Since Kenyan teams first won the overall title in the first edition of the games in 2002, they have never played second fiddle, easily winning the overall title for the past 10 years.

At last year’s games in Mbarara, Uganda, St Anthony’s won the boys’ hockey title as Kerugoya called the shots in the girls’ hockey.

Laiser Hill Academy edged out Bentiu School of South Sudan at the St Joseph’s Vocational School for a record sixth boys’ basketball trophy, while Cheptil Boys reclaimed the volleyball title after tossing out St Mary’s Kitende 3-1 in the final.

Malava Girls are also here to defend their volleyball title following their 3-0 demolition of compatriots Cheptil High School. But despite claiming the overall title for an impressive 10th time in a row, Kenya has never won the boys’ football trophy after St Anthony’s triumphed in 2002.

The closest Kenya has ever come to the trophy was when Mombasa High School won silver in the 2006 edition in Dar es Saalam.

Teams like Lang’ata High School, St Marks Mokorogoinwa and Tononoka of Mombasa have all but fell short in the campaign to break the jinx. When Kenya’s St Anthony’s and Upper Hill High School launch their title chase today in this year’s regional games, their work will be clearly cut out.

Simple task

Their task is simple; they have to win two of their three group matches to qualify for the penultimate stage and make good use of the 90 minutes in their semi-final and final matches.

Upper Hill will be the first to launch Kenya’s bid when they meet Ape Rugunda of Rwanda in the 8am kick off. St Anthony’s play hosts ETG at 2pm. “We have waited for this trophy for a long time. When are keen to break Uganda’s dominance in football. I just hope that this will be the time to bring it (the trophy) back home,” Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association chairman, Barnabas Kitilit, said.

But while boys’ teams have been firing blanks, their sisters have been calling the shots. They have lifted one football trophy after another since 2008. Since 2010 when Archbishop Njenga lost to then debutants New Jogoo Road of Nairobi in the Nakuru finals, Kenyan girls have had little opposition in football at the games.

Tar Tar of West Pokot play compatriots Olympic Girls from Nairobi in their opening match on Sunday at 8am as St John’s Kaloleni, the other Kenyan representatives, play Progressive Highway of Uganda at 2pm.