KPL to be played in Kajiado

It is an opportunity for Rongai residents to watch Kenya Premier League live. This is as the FOOTBALL Kenya Federation president Sam Nyamweya on Sunday installed their branch officials in Kajiado county and said Premier League games will now be played in the region. Nyamweya also urged the local county governor David Nkedianye to help upgrade the playing grounds in the region so as to open up football participation in the county.

this comes after the Kajiado county has been conducting the Kajiado League which has turned out to be successful and much promising. Kajiado League has helped a lot in nurturing talents and help create jobs for the youth in the area.
The FKF boss said football facilities in Kajiado had been overlooked for a long time and he promised to promote sports in the region adding there was great potential in Kitengela, Ngong and Ongata Rongai.
“I will work closely with the local FKF office to bring many provincial league teams to play in Kajiado as a way of promoting the sport here,” Nyamweya said.
He was accompanied by NEC member for Rift Valley, Doris Petra, who urged the Maasai community and other people living in Kajiado to embrace football as a way of life. Petra said football had transformed lives of people in other areas and, therefore, the need to trap the talent in Kajiado.

By Brian Obuchi.

ATHLETICS

Diffrent types of sports in Kenya

As a great sporting nation, Kenya is probably best known for her award-winning athletes who scoop several awards at the Olympics and other international meetings worldwide. However, despite athletics being almost synonymous with Kenyan sports, there is a lot more on offer to the sporting enthusiast.

Most world sports – golf, football, rugby and cricket, to name a few – have taken root in Kenya and are fast growing in their popularity and participation. As such, Kenya is now a sports safari destination where one can enjoy:

• golfing on some of the world’s most beautiful courses;
• diving in the lovely tropical waters at the coast;
• rugby action at the Safari Sevens Rugby tournament;
• high-altitude training camps;
• and much, much more!

In this section, you will find information on the various sporting activities available in Kenya, which include:

Kenya has a rich history of sporting legends, and her prowess at track, field and marathon events lives on with past sporting greats like Kipchoge Keino, Joseph Ngugi, Moses Tanui, and current ones such as Paul Tergat, Tecla Lorupe and Catherine Ndereba, among others.

Track and field events in Kenya are mainly held at the national sports stadiums, including:

• Moi International Sports Center- Kasarani;
• Nyayo Stadium;
• Nairobi City Stadium;
• Nairobi Gymkhana.
• GOLF

One of Kenya’s best-kept secrets is the numerous golf courses. Few places in the world offer such a perfect mix for fantastic golf holidays as Kenya does. The opportunity to play your favourite game, to see wildlife, sometimes on the course!, and to relax on the beautiful white sandy beaches all during the same holiday is unique.

Kenya has 40 golf courses, 12 of which are 18 hole and 10 of which are used for championship events. Six of the courses are within a 20-mile radius of Nairobi. The oldest 18 hole course is the Royal Nairobi Golf Club, founded in 1906, and the newest is the David Jones-designed pay-and-play 9 hole golf course, the Golf Park within the Nairobi race course. There are several new courses under construction, and a number are being upgraded from 9 holes to 18 holes. Kenya’s ideal weather allows for golfing all year round.

For the visiting golfer, Kenya has a broad appeal. There is everything for the fanatic golfer, whilst the avid golfer can fashion his safari to include some wildlife viewing as well. A golfer who prefers to laze on the beach can still fit in a game or two, and the business traveller with an afternoon off can easily play his favourite game right at his doorstep!

RUGBY

The game of rugby was introduced in Kenya around the beginning of the century. During the colonial times, rugby was strictly for whites only. With the coming of independence, and schools and clubs becoming multi-racial in the late 50’s and early 60’s, rugby gained a wider appeal. Over the years, rugby has become an established sport on the Kenyan scene. Local teams have played visiting foreign teams and toured other rugby-playing countries around the world. The Kenya Rugby Football Union was formed in 1923 with a role to manage, administer and develop the sport of rugby in the country.

Safari Sevens Rugby Tournament

For the rugby enthusiast, an event not to be missed is the Safari Sevens Rugby tournament. Rugby fans from all over the globe flock to Kenya for the annual Tusker Safari Sevens. This classic annual event is held at the R.F.U.E.A grounds in Nairobi. The Tusker Safari Sevens is now a world recognized tournament in the annual Safari Sevens Rugby tournament in the global sevens rugby series.

MOTOR SPORTS

Motor sporting is well loved in Kenya, and includes motorcross for the younger generation, motor rallying, off-road racing and go-karting. The links below have more detailed information on the sport in Kenya.

Safari Rally

This world-famous rally is the only African event on the World Rally circuit, and is without doubt the toughest of the 14 international rally courses. The first rally was held in 1953 to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, and the race has since then become an annual event. The promise of the world’s most grueling race brings many international drivers to Kenya, and the race is broadcast to a television audience of millions.

Rhino Charge

The annual Rhino Charge is a local event that is aimed at raising money for conservation. It is a 4WD-rally through the wilderness of the Laikipia region of Kenya. The race involves 4WD-vehicles following a course through extremely rough terrain to reach a series of pre-arranged points in the fastest possible time. The course is designed with challenge in mind, and each year these off-road vehicles are pushed to their absolute limits.

WATER SPORTS

Water sports of all types are available in Kenya. The warm seawater is ideal for swimming, with none of the health risks that inland waters have. Windsurfing, parasailing, water-skiing and jet-skiing are available at many coastal resorts and clubs. Also available is yachting, sailing, boating, kayaking and white-water rafting. The thrills of white-water rafting are possible on three main rivers: Tana, Athi, and Ewaso.

For nature lovers, Kenya’s crystal waters in the marine parks offer excellent opportunity for snorkelling, scuba diving and the unique possibility to swim with dolphins.

CRICKET

Another sport that has grown in popularity in Kenya is cricket and, with the success of the national team on the international circuit, it is poised to gain even more fame. The website below will give you more information on the sport in the country, in addition to the fixtures and upcoming events.

FOOTBALL

The most loved sport throughout Kenya is football. With the establishment of several football clubs, it is possible to catch some local soccer action over the weekend at the numerous sports stadiums. Kenya’s national team is the Harambee Stars, and the Kenya Football Federation regulates and controls the sport in the country.

HIKING/MOUNTAIN CLIMBING

If you enjoy hiking, Kenya has a lot to offer. The most favourable areas for hiking are the Aberdare Mountains, the Chyulu Hills, Hell’s Gate, Mt. Suswa, Mt. Longonot, the Menengai Crater in the Rift Valley, the Ngong Hills, the Cherangani Hills, Mt. Elgon and Mt Kenya.

TRAINING

As an athletics giant, Kenya now offers training facilities for local and international athletes. The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) Regional Development Centre in Nairobi provides training opportunities for both coaches and athletes. The most notable training camp is the High Altitude Training Centre, which is located near Eldoret in Western Kenya.

Julie Chebet

Diffrent types of sports in kenya.

Why EPL and not KPL?

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Any football lover in Kenya would tell you that the English (EPL) is more famous in Kenya than Kenya premier league (KPL). In fact if they were to choose EPL and KPL they will definitely choose EPL without second thoughts.

Football in Kenya has had its own share of challenges from bad management to lack of enough funds plus many more other problems. One would tell that football in Kenya is more or less dead.

Though people have really tried to promote and support our own football some clubs in Kenya do not have fans and if they have they can barely fill half of the stadium. It’s a paradox because if there is any time that club and bar owners make more money then it must be the time when there is a an English premier match. People come in large numbers in large numbers and fill the whole place forcing the club and bar owners to send some of them away.

Why is it difficult to rally the same kind of support to our players? Football lovers say it’s because the kind of football played here in Kenya cannot march the kind of football that is played in the EPL.

What then does EPL do so well that Kenya doesn’t do? Many international players are nurtured when they are still young. In that stage they are given good coaches who then impact good skills in the players. As they grow up they perfect their game more and more and they become the best. In Kenya there is a problem when it comes to nurturing the young spirited blood, normally we concentrate on the players who have already made it in football and forget those who are still fresh and have the potential.

EPL also provides good and quality facilities for their players. In Kenya clubs are still struggling when it comes to facilities some of the clubs do not have training grounds and are forced to train in places where the conditions are pathetic.

EPL pays the players so well this keeps them motivated and they struggle to maintain and upgrade their game. In Kenya the situation is so different because the one major challenge the clubs are facing is lack of funds. The players in KPL are paid so little that they cannot even afford a decent life with what they get. This is a demoralizing factor because football needs ones time and effort. Sometimes players are forced to join other businesses to substitute the little they get.

Though KPL is facing a lot of criticisms it has the capacity to produce players who can fit into world teams. It’s only a matter of looking for more funds through sponsorship that will help them train good players and uplift the status of KPL.

By paskalia

what needs to change for harambee stars

The last few years have not been easy for Kenya football  team “harambee stars”. Looking at the team performance over the last few years there is nothing to smile about.what went wrong where and when is what we should ask ourselves.

since the year 2000 football changed for the worst in Kenya. The regime of corrupt club officials who drained the clubs account saw the performance of 1990’s disappear in thin air. One is left wonder where the problem lies.

we have players in Kenya who are talented are ready to show their skills to the world, but then why is it that we always loose to other teams? This might be to poor selection of players, we have ever since used the same old players who at the end disappoint us. it is a high time that we changed the way we think and take a risk by trying the young blood.

coaches are there with a lot of experience but we really make good use of them. the football culture in Kenya is that of impatience and whenever the players don’t do well its blamed on the coach before looking into real issue why the players are not performing well.

lack of motivation for the players is another factor that has really pushed down the players perfomance. many times the players are not well paid or they are played late.

The resources are also not put into good use when it comes to preparing the players for matches. the just ended COSAFA cup is one of the evidence of poor planning and lack of using the resources well.

initially there was no plan of the team to join COSAFA but the KFF body forced it on to the clubs to release their players. with the Little time they had to prepare the expected happened and they were thrown out of the competition.

change must happen to scale us to the greater heights we have the capacity to beat the likes of Botswana and be on the same level as other African national teams that are doing well like South Africa and Cameroon.

footbal for peace

Football matches are meant to play the role of reconciliation but unfortunately that’s not the case in Kenya. Kenyan football fans have developed a tendency of taking their pain of loosing out on their rivals. The past recent matches that have been played between Kenya Gor mahia and Mathare fc in the Nairobi Nyanyo  National stadium act as a  good example to determine who really gets hurt or who is to blame whenever a match ends with violence as an outcome. this almost leads to lack of motivation for upcoming or interested football players because they seem not to find anything of importance from their so called role models. we therefore need to understand that matches are meant to bring people together and act as grounds for socialization. football fans need not to point out fingers to one another but instead get to appreciate their rivals achievements and failures.

BY BELDINAH KEMUNTO

WANYAMA DEBUT

Victor Wanyama Mugubi, 22 years old is the new star in Kenya. He is the first Kenyan to play in the English Premier League, he made his debut on Saturday 17th August, 2013 for Southampton in a match that saw Southampton bag three points in their first match against West Bromwich. Kenya is now the 100th foreign country to have an international player appearing in the Premier League when Victor Wanyama made his Southampton debut.

The powerful 6ft 2in defensive midfielder attracted interest from Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton among others but eventually signed for Southampton in a club record £12.5million deal earlier this summer. The Multimedia university students were happy and witnessed the whole action from the pavilion.

for once all students put away their differences and supported one team, those for Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City were all in one boat, Wanyama was the man to be watched. I must say that Wanyama has represented Kenyans well and most are arguing that he will open doors for more Kenyans to join the most popular league in the world.

Mugubi came into light when he scored against Barcelona, perhaps the strongest team in the world, during their champions league match, when he was at Celtic United last year. Mugubi now earning 2 million Kenyan shillings a month, started his career in Kenya’s FC Leopards at the age of 15 and he is a brother to MacDonald Mariga of Inter Milan, currently on loan with Parma.

Multimedia students were full of joy after the match and kept discussing his performance on the pitch for the rest of Saturdays evening. it is the hope of everybody that he will shine in the Premier League.

Story by: Brian Obuchi