Kenya Morans receive Wamukota boost

Kenya Morans' Bush Wamukota (left) vies for the ball with Eritrea's Temesgen Semere during their Fiba Afro Basketball Pre-qualifiers match at the Nyayo National Stadium Gymnasium on January 14, 2020.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Kenya expected to be at full strength for final throw at making African finals
  • Kenya’s star forward first of foreign legion to join Morans at Nyayo for Afrobasket qualifiers

Centre Bush Wamukota has finally linked up with the Kenya national basketball team, Morans ahead of the final round of Afrobasket Group B qualifiers set for Yaounde, Cameroon next month.

Kenya is currently placed third in the  group that has leaders Senegal, Angola and Mozambique.

The three top teams in the group will qualify for continental finals that will be hosted by Rwanda in August.

Wamukota, who plies his trade with Patriots of Rwanda where he recently extended his contract by two years, will be a valuable addition to the Moran’s team after missing round one of the qualifiers that were held in Kigali last November.

The seven-foot star centre failed to travel to Kigali on the eve of the crucial qualifiers on suspicion he was Covid-19 positive. He had earlier participated in an invitational tournament in DRC Congo with TP Mazembe basketball team.

According to KBF chairman Paul Otula, other professional players are expected to start trickling in from Monday starting with US-based Ronnie Gundo.

Preston Bungei and Taylor Okari, who are both based in Denmark and currently on club duty, will confirm their arrival dates later.

Bungei, who did not participate in the Kigali qualifiers as he had not been cleared by Fiba to represent Kenya, has now received the thumbs up to play for the Morans.

“I want to say that, as a federation, we are happy that Wamukota, who was greatly missed during window one in Rwanda is already with us while Demond Owili who missed our last match against Mozambique due to an injury he picked during our game against Angola has fully recovered, thanks to the good work by team physiotherapist Erastus Wainaina,” Otula said.

Wamukota, who is the son of Webuye West Member of Parliament Dan Wanyama a former elite volleyball player,  is expected to team up with evergreen Ariel Okal, Gundo, Owili for a solid front court.

Otula said he was also hopeful that Portugal-based forward Nelson Ododa will be available for this do-or-die qualifiers where Kenya needs to register just one win for a first appearance at the Afrobasket finals in over 27 years.

Those who have been training at the Nyayo National Stadium Indoor Arena under assistant coach Sadat Gaya include captain Griffin Ligare, Eric Mutoro, Victor Bosire, Faheem Juma, Desmond Owili, Valentine Nyakinda and Okal.
 
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