This archive report was first published on 28 July 2019.
Kenya's basketball team, Morans, has made history by finishing second in the inaugural Fiba AfroCan Championship, held in Bamako, Mali, from July 28 to August 4, 2019.
The team, which was the lowest-ranked side in the competition, sitting 131st in global ranking, put up an impressive performance, finishing behind the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the 12-nation biennial competition.
Kenya's best performance in Africa prior to this tournament was a fourth-place finish at the 1987 All Africa Games in Nairobi and a fourth-place finish at the 1993 AfroBasket Championship in Nairobi.
According to Vitalis Gode, Secretary General of the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF), the team will arrive at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Monday, July 29, 2019, at 6am, and will be ferried in a caravan to their destination.
Players will receive their allowances, which the federation had received from the government, soon after their arrival.
Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga had given the players cash incentives before they made the trip to Mali and congratulated them on their good performance on Twitter.
“Keep your heads high Morans for trying your best against the Democratic Republic of Congo to emerge second overall at the Fiba AfroCan2019 basketball tournament in Bamako. We’re proud of you and wish you all the best in future outings,” Odinga said.
