School Games: Attention turns to nationals in Nakuru
Nanyuki High School sevens’ rugby players celebrate after beating Menengai High School 3-0 in penalty flick to clinch the Rift Valley Region Secondary Schools Term Two Games at Nakuru Boys High School in Nakuru City on September 03, 2022.
What you need to know:
- The term two games were postponed two weeks ago by the government as schools were closed to pave way for the August 9 poll.
- Unlike the previous times, this time the KSSSA had to work extra hard to stage all the games some of which were normally held in term one.
The journey to the Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (Feasssa) games has kicked off in earnest following the successful completion of regional Secondary School games Term Two games over the weekend.
The prestigious event will be held on September 14 to 24 in Arusha.
The Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA), is working under strict timelines to stage the national games at Nakuru High School.
The national games will kick off on Friday, September 9 with the finals expected to be staged on September 12.
The association’s national executive and region secretaries converged Monday at the national venue to inspect all the playing fields and accommodation facilities ahead of the games.
Speaking to Nation Sport, Kariuki Gikonyo, KSSSA national treasurer, disclosed that the committee will also do the draws to establish the pools.
“Safety is key for our children. The committee has to be satisfied with the fields to ensure the integrity of our games and safety of the players,” said Kariuki.
On Thursday, all the referees who were selected from the regions will meet at Nakuru High School for a coordination clinic before the teams’ arrival on the same day for action from Friday.
The teams that qualify for the regional competition will then head to Kajiado on September 13 for a one-day clinic ahead of the East African games.
Kariuki, who is also the deputy president of Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association, pointed out that the teams have not had ample time to prepare due to time constraints that are brought by the jumbled school calendar.
The games were halted for three years as the government imposed strict protocols following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The teams have only three days to polish ahead of the national games the good thing is that they are all on the same level. We are all recovering from the Covid-19 era and therefore nobody can claim any advantage,” said Kariuki.
The term two games were postponed two weeks ago by the government as schools were closed to pave way for the August 9 poll.
Unlike the previous times, this time the KSSSA had to work extra hard to stage all the games some of which were normally held in term one.
“We are working under very extraordinary circumstances where we are competing with time and all disciplines in one event. The officials countrywide have outdone themselves to make this happen,” added Kariuki.
