Arnold Odira (left) of St Mary's Yala in action against Eugene Selety of Kakamega Seniro School. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]
As focus shifts to the 23rd edition of the Federation of East Africa Schools Sports Association (FEASSA) games, Kenya’s football flag bearers find themselves locked in a familiar war of nerves.
Shackled in the shadows in a script dominated by neighbours Uganda, Kenyan schools have watched the football crown slip through their fingers for years. Out of the 22 editions, Kenyan boys have lifted the sought-after trophy two times only. The last golden memory remains etched in 2016, when Barding conquered the region to secure Kenya’s second East African gong.
They beat the revered St Mary’s Kitende by a solitary goal on home soil. Since then, a deep frustrating slumber has gripped Kenyan football on the biggest stage of schools ‘sports. Kakamega School’s Green Commandos and St Mary’s Yala, who are now under the former Barding principal Victor Makanda, carry the nation's hopes of breaking the ceiling and ending the long wait at this year’s East Africa games that begin this Friday in Morogoro, Tanzania.
Having fought tooth and nail through the qualification stages from the Zonals to the nationals, they arrive in Tanzania determined to succeed where their peers have failed.
After years in hibernation, the legendary Green Commandos clawed back to the limelight as they rediscovered their pedigree that once made them a dreaded name across the region.
Fresh from reclaiming the national trophy they had last won in 2018 and armed with their tactical discipline and an insatiable hunger for glory, they will go full throttle as they seek to finally get it right after past failed attempts.
Speaking after winning the national trophy, Kakamega coach Enock Lucheveli said that they will be in Morogoro for the ultimate prize.