This archive report was first published on 29 July 2019.
On Sunday, July 28, 2019, Kisumu County was abuzz with activity as schools arrived for the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) term two games, which kicked off at different venues on Tuesday.
The Coast region contingent was the first to arrive in Kisumu, with chairman Juma Bora stating that they had decided to report to the games village earlier to allow the players enough time to acclimatise. The region aimed to defend the under 19 girls football and netball titles it won the previous year, courtesy of Kwale Girls and Kaya Tiwi.
However, Kwale Girls, who had successfully retained their under 19 titles during the Coast region games in Malindi, were later thrown out for fielding ineligible players. In their place, former KSSSA girls football champions St John’s Kaloleni, who had lost to Kwale Girls by a solitary goal in the Coast region finals, would be competing in Kisumu.
Coach Joseph Oyoo of St John’s Kaloleni believed that the team was equal to the task at these games, where titles would also be contested in volleyball, netball, and racquet games. Other schools that were not present for the nationals despite winning their regionals included Barding High from Nyanza, who were thrown out and replaced by Kisumu Day following a successful appeal, and St Peter’s Mumias, who were locked out and replaced by Ebwali following an appeal.
KSSSA chairman Peter Orero stated that arrangements for the games, which started with the referees clinics on Friday, were complete, with the opening ceremony set for Moi Stadium Kisumu on Tuesday. He added that the participating teams, including North Eastern region teams, had arrived in Kisumu by Sunday evening, setting the stage for a bruising battle.
According to Orero, the referees clinic had a record over 200 teachers in attendance and would be closed on Monday, paving the way for the team managers meeting later in the afternoon. He also revealed that Kisumu Polytechnic would host all the boy and girls under 16 football, netball, and volleyball, while Kisumu Boys would host the boys and girls under 19 football.
A spot check around the Kisumu city revealed a boom in business, especially on the accommodation front, with many hotels already filled up with teachers and others coming for the games. Boda boda operators had also begun positioning themselves in strategic places, ready to do business for close to eight days when the games would be on.
