'Demon' crowned ELigue 1 Tour Kenyan champion

The e Ligue 1 Tour Kenya champion Erick ‘’demon" Ngige has promised to carry the country's flag high at the global finals in France slated for May

Ngige saw off seven other players during the event staged at Alliance Francaise, Nairobi on Saturday.

“I am happy to be crowned champion. The hard work continues and I promise to make Kenya proud in France. Thank you to all my fans for the support and congratulations to my fellow competitors for the tough competition,” said Ngige.

The 23-year-old  will face 11 other contenders where the winner of the showpiece will bag Sh1.9 million

The KCA University student knocked out Lennox “Camzy” Kuloba 3-1 in the quarters before facing a titanic battle against Harry “Kappa” Thuku in the semifinals.

The duo battled to a 2-2 draw in the regular time. However, Ngige won 3-0 via penalties to make it to the final against Musyoki ‘Mbemba’.

He was also made to sweat for his victory as Musyoki came from 2-0 down to level the scores 2-2 forcing the tie to be decided in extra time.

Ngige's master class performance late in the second half of extra time saw him clinch victory.

He walked home with Sh25,000, while Musyoki and Maina won Sh15,000 and Sh10,000 respectively for finishing in the second and third positions respectively.

French Ambassador to Kenya, Arnaud Suquet expressed his joy at seeing Kenyan esports grow.

“Esports is growing in Kenya and we are happy to support it. We are grateful that Ligue 1 in France is a partner in gaming here in Kenya and we look forward to seeing more french organizations partner with Kenyan esports organizations,” said Suquet.

Tournament organisers IndexG Esports’s CEO Ronny Lusigi congratulated all the 264 participants for a spirited fight and promised to support the winner.

 “To our winner, we wish you all the best in France and between now and your departure, we shall do our best to support you,” said Lusigi.