Awendo Football Academy and Plateau Queens are Safaricom Chapa Dimba Nyanza Regional Champions during the finals played today at the Mamboleo stadium in Kisumu county.
Coming from Migori County, the Awendo defeated Indomitable Soldiers from Siaya 4-0 in a thrilling boys’ with their Head Coach Dennis Otondi, secured their maiden regional title in impressive fashion, with Kevin Mukaramoja scoring a hat-trick to inspire the Migori-based side to victory.
Mukaramoja opened the scoring in the 23rd minute through a spectacular free kick. He doubled the lead five minutes later to give his side a 2-0 advantage at half-time. Rayce Ochieng extended Awendo’s lead in the 77th minute, before Mukaramoja completed his hat-trick one minute before the final whistle to seal the commanding 4-0 victory.
“I want to thank God for bringing us this far. To our fans who believed in us and walked this journey with us, we are so grateful. Last season, we lost to Obunga in the final, but today we are happy to take this regional trophy to Migori for the first time. The task is not yet over, as our aim is to win the national trophy,” said Dennis Otondi, Head Coach, Awendo Football Academy.
In the girls’ contest, national defending champions, Plateau Queens from Kisumu County, stamped their authority with a 4-0 victory over Homa Bay-based Hedso Queens, retaining their regional title for a third consecutive time. Plateau’s goals were scored by Beryl Awuor, Emily Adhiambo, Joan Agola and Velma Auma.
“We are happy to defend our title for the third time. It has not been easy, but we have managed. I also want to thank my girls for their dedication and the effort they have put in to ensure that we retain this title. Our opponents today were a good team, but we stuck to our game plan. As we head to the national finals, we are determined to retain the title,” said Chrispine Odindo, Head Coach, Plateau Queens.
Awendo Football Academy had defeated Kendu Muslim 1-0 to secure their place in the final, while Indomitable Soldiers edged regional and national defending champions Obunga FC 1-0 to book their ticket. Plateau Queens booked their place in the final after overpowering Masosa Starlets 8-0, while Hedso Queens secured their spot after seeing off Otendo Comprehensive Starlets 4-0.
“We have witnessed amazing talent here in Kisumu, and I would say the future of Kenyan football is bright. We had scouts on the ground, and I believe they have identified some great talent. I am sure we will see some of these Chapa Dimba players going on to play for local clubs and even securing opportunities with international clubs. Our purpose is to continue tapping into, nurturing, and showcasing talent to the world,” said Fawzia Ali, Chief Consumer Business Officer at Safaricom.
In addition to representing the Nyanza Region at the National Finals scheduled for early next year, both champions were awarded Ksh. 250,000 each, alongside other individual prizes, including smartphones and airtime. The runners-up, Indomitable Soldiers and Hedso Queens, received Ksh. 150,000 each.
The Best Goalkeeper awards went to Valarie Achieng of Plateau Queens and Chris Georgian of Awendo Football Academy, while the Top Scorer awards were claimed by Emily Adhiambo of Plateau Queens and Kevin Mukaramoja of Awendo Football Academy.
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards went to Imelda Akinyi of Plateau Queens and Alex Ouma of Indomitable Soldiers. Each individual winner took home Ksh. 30,000. Additionally, both MVPs received fully funded tertiary education scholarships under Safaricom’s Citizens of the Future Programme.
Awendo Football Academy and Plateau Queens now join St. Joseph Starlets and LYSA from the Central Region, as well as Vihiga Cranes and Lugari Progressive from the Western Region, who have already booked their places in the National Finals.
Today’s finals were followed by an exhibition match between Equator Boys of Maseno School and City Boys of Kisumu Boys High School, with City Boys winning 2-1. With the Nyanza Regional finals concluded, Safaricom Chapa Dimba now heads to the Eastern Region, with the finals set to be played in Embu. The competition for 14 to 17-year-old provides young footballers with a platform to showcase their talent, compete at the highest level, and pursue opportunities both on and off the pitch