Departing Kenyan team given their brief for Gulu

Team Kenya captain Byron Sadia receives Kenyan flag from the Director of Co-Curricular Activities in Ministry of Education, Chacha Mwita at the St Mathias Busia Boys Secondary School on August 16, 2017. PHOTO | COURTESY |

What you need to know:

  • Kenya’s team for this year’s Brookside East Africa Secondary School Games cross the Kenyan border by road on Thursday for Gulu, Uganda ahead of Saturday’s start of the annual East Africa Secondary School Games.
  • Director of Co-Curricular Activities in Ministry of Education, Chacha Mwita on Wednesday presented the team captain Byron Sadia with the Kenyan flag during a ceremony held at the St Mathias Busia Boys Secondary School where the Kenyan team has been camping ahead of their departure.
  • The Kenyans are expected Gulu later in the evening. Gulu is 432 kilometres by road from Busia.

Kenya’s team for this year’s Brookside East Africa Secondary School Games cross the Kenyan border by road on Thursday for Gulu, Uganda ahead of Saturday’s start of the annual East Africa Secondary School Games.

Director of Co-Curricular Activities in Ministry of Education, Chacha Mwita on Wednesday presented the team captain Byron Sadia with the Kenyan flag during a ceremony held at the St Mathias Busia Boys Secondary School where the Kenyan team has been camping ahead of their departure.

The Kenyans are expected Gulu later in the evening. Gulu is 432 kilometres by road from Busia.

Chacha appealed to the team to maintain high discipline and maintain the country’s sporting reputation by retaining the overall title.

“We have lost the team title only once in the last 10 years. This success story should be embraced,” Mwita said, adding that the games were meant to promote regional integration as well as expose the players to international standards.

Kenya Secondary School Sports Association Assistant Secretary General Robert Mukhwana said six countries including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan will parade their teams.

He added that Kenya was sending 53 teams with a total of 720 participants for the annual games.

Kenya will be defending its titles in 10 disciplines namely basketball girls’, hockey boys’ and girls’, volleyball boys’ and girls’, rugby 7s and 15s, boys’ football, swimming and athletics.

Kenya has won the boys’ football title twice.

During the inaugural edition in 2002, St Anthony’s Boys Kitale lifted the title in Nakuru before the country went on a 13-year drought that was finally ended by Barding last year as they beat Uganda’s St Mary’s Kitende 1-0 in the final played at the Kipchoge Keino Stadium, Eldoret.

Milk processors Brookside Diary on Tuesday sponsored the games to a tune of Sh35 million for the ninth year in a row.

Venues for the games are Sacred Heart Girls School, St Joseph Layibi and Kaunda Grounds Hall in Gulu.

Brookside will offer six sports scholarship (basketball and hockey) for students to study at Strathmore University.