The fourth leg of Betika BingwaFest Season Two is currently underway for the Nairobi Region, and is set to culminate on Sunday, November 23, at the Nyayo Stadium as teams and individuals battle for a share of the Sh17-million prize kitty across football, rugby, basketball, and athletics.
Leads United and Embakasi South Ladies will be hoping to defend the regional titles they won during last year’s edition, with Leads United, who are the national champions, aiming to replicate their heroics last year.
Football preliminaries kicked off on Monday across different venues within Nairobi. Men’s Pool A games are being played at Kariobangi North Grounds, Pool B at Calvary grounds in Kayole, and Pool C and D at BP grounds in Kawangware.
Women’s Pool A and B matches are being held at the Kariobangi North grounds and the Calvary grounds in Kayole, respectively, while Pool C and D matches played at Ligi Ndogo grounds. The final matches for both men and women will be played at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday.
Impala Grounds will host rugby matches on Thursday and Friday followed by a rest day on Saturday, then move to Nyayo Stadium on Sunday for the final.
Basketball will be played at Vikapu Basketball – 209 State House Road on Friday and Saturday, then move to the Nyayo Stadium Gymnasium on Sunday.
Athletics will take centre stage on Saturday at the Kasarani Annex where more than 650 athletes who have registered for the event so far will be aiming to compete for podium places as well as to have a share of more than Sh6 million that will be up for grabs in the various track disciplines.
Defending champion over the women’s 1,500 m, Purity Chepkirui will be out to defend her title as she uses the competition to continue her preparations for the upcoming World Athletics Cross Country Championships.
Betika Head of Brand, Eric Mwiti, said, “After going to Rift Valley, Nyanza, and Eastern regions for the second season of BingwaFest, this week we are pitching camp in Nairobi for yet another spectacular sporting week.”
He said that the matches in Nairobi are well-placed across different sub-regions to ensure that different communities from within the larger Nairobi region get a taste of BingwaFest.
“The week will then culminate with the finals at Nyayo Stadium, and we believe that is a perfect venue for both players and fans to enjoy the games,” said Mwiti.
The second season of the multidisciplinary sports extravaganza kicked off in August, with Nakuru hosting the Rift Valley Region event at the Afraha Stadium before moving to Siaya County for the Nyanza Region leg, then to Machakos County for the Eastern Region chapter.
Winners in football and rugby, both men and women, will pocket Sh1 million each, while the winning teams in the 3×3 basketball will go home Sh500,000 richer.
The first runners-up for football and rugby will be awarded Sh500,000, while the second runners-up are set to receive Sh250,000. In basketball, the teams that finish second and third will take home Sh250,000 and Sh100,000, respectively.
Gold medallists in the lucrative 10,000m will take home Sh300,000, as the first and second runners-up will pocket Sh250,000 and Sh200,000, respectively. The athletes who finish fourth and fifth will round out the prize bracket and receive Sh100,000 and Sh75,000, respectively.
In the 5,000m category, winners will be awarded Sh250,000, second-place finishers Sh150,000, third-place finishers Sh100,000, fourth-place finishers Sh50,000, and fifth-place finishers Sh30,000.
Prizes for the top five in the 100m, 4000m, 800m, and 1,500m will be the same, with gold medallists receiving Sh150,000, silver medallists Sh100,000, and bronze medallists Sh60,000. The fourth- and fifth-place finishers will pocket Sh30,000 and Sh20,000.
Just like in all editions, there will be a free medical camp that will run throughout the weekend and will offer general consultation services, specialist consultation services, laboratory and pharmacy services.
By Anita Omwenga
