Multiple national rugby 15s champions Kakamega High School head coach Edward Butala Wambi wants to redeem the image of the school when Term One Western Region Secondary Schools Sports Association (WRSSSA) kicks off on Wednesday evening with one basketball match.
Despite losing one of their best player Shakur Nyongesa, who is also the team captain. The from two student broke his hand during their Kakamega County championships in the semifinal match against St Peter’s Mumias two weeks ago.
“This was a big loss to us. He is a very prominent player in the team, serving as a captain. You know how much you lose when the captain is not playing. This was a bad incident that happened while playing at the Kakamega County semifinal match against St Peters. Despite the injury, we went ahead and won, preceded to the finals when we lost to Koyonzo,” said Butala.
With the games set to start on Wednesday at the Nyang’ori High school in Vihiga County, Butala said they are well prepared for the championships after losing the county title to their new found rivals Koyonzo.
The Term One Games will feature rugby 15s, basketball 5×5, handball, track and field, hockey, cross country and swimming. One match will be played on Wednesday evening before all matches starting on Thursday morning running all the way to saturday.
“It is time to redeem our image because we lost the county title and we want to go all the way to the nationals. This school has a rich history in rugby, both 15s and 7s,” said Butala.
With the loss at the county level, Butala said that they are preparing well for the regional championships where they will take on Mundika from Busia, hosts Vihiga and Bungoma High from Bungoma in pool A. Pool B has champions Butula (Busia), Koyonzo (Kakamega), Kimobo (Bungoma) and Chavakali (Vihiga).
Last year, the school lost at the regional championships in pool matches but Butala believes it is time to make a statement.
“We had bad results last year, last year, we reached regions after losing in group stages but this time, we have to get the best out of us. This year, the team is looking good with majority being form ones who are fit enough to fight a good battle,” he said.
He said that the young boys may lack experience in playing top matches, but their determination has put them on top.
“During our final with Koyonzo, they controlled the game until the last minutes and a simple mistakes cost us. But we have learnt the mistakes and we have corrected them during our training,” he said.
The Butala led side will open the campaign against Mundika, followed by Vihiga and complete the pool against Bungoma.
Western Region schools games pools
Rugby 15s
Pool A: Vihiga (Vihiga), Mundika (Busia), Bungoma (Bungoma) and Kakamega (Kakamega)
Pool B: Chavakali (Vihiga), Butula (Busia), Kimobo (Bungoma) and Koyonzo (Kakamega)
handball
Girls
Pool A: Kamusinga, Chakol, Lusengeli, and Eshitari
Pool B: Toroso, Abololi, Mudavadi and Mukumu
Boys
Pool A: Gavalagi, Musingu, Kimilili and Kolanya
Pool B: Senende, Mukumu, Maliki and Butula
Hockey
Girls
Pool A: Misikhu, nangina, Musali and Madira
Pool B: Namawanga, Kingandole, Butere and Tigoi
Boys
Pool A: Nyang’ori, Chebuyusi, Kamusinga and Mundika
Pool B: Kaimosi, Musingu, Kimilili and Kolanya
Basketball 5×5
Girls
Pool A: Butere, nangian, Tigoi and Misikhu
Pool B: Eregi, Kolanya, Bunyore and Nalondo
Boys
Pool A: Sigalame, Bungoma, Mumias and Nyang’ori
Pool B: Butula, Kamusinga, Matunda and Chavakali.