Kakamega County has officially been confirmed as host of both the East African Secondary School Games and the Kenya National School Term Two Games this year.
Consequently, a delegation from the Ministry of Education, the Federation of the East African Secondary School Sports Association (FEASSA) and the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSA) are on a three-day tour of the county to assess the available sporting facilities in readiness for the events to be held at end of July and August this year.
The team kicked off the tour with a courtesy call to the Western Regional Security team led by Regional Commissioner Mr. Irungu Macharia.
The RC assured the team that adequate security arrangements would be put in place to ensure the event to be attended by students and delegates’ six East Africa Community countries as well as six other guest countries is a success.
The Regional Commissioner said the government and Kakamega county government would work together to ensure that the ongoing renovations at the Bukhungu stadium are fast-tracked in readiness for the event.
“When President William Ruto was here in Kakamega, he directed that the stadium be ready by June this year, and will ensure the contractor adheres to the directive,” he added.
The Head of the Directorate of field and Co-Curricular Activities in the Ministry of Education Nelson Sifuna said his team is visiting the sporting fields where the games would be held.
“We are also here to assess the available sporting facilities as we appeal for your support in terms of security, since we are aware Kakamega county has a huge fan support as well as our neighbouring Uganda,” he added.
“We expect officials from the International Sport Federation, which is an international sports governing body for school sport as well as teams outside of the EAC region to attend,” he said.
Sifuna said the event would be a good ground for players to showcase their talents which can earn them sponsorship outside the region,” he added.
The Secretary- General of Federation of East African Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSA) David Ngugi appealed to both the National and Kakamega County government to move with speed with renovations at Bukhungu stadium.
The team appealed to the two levels of government to complete the renovations on time, and especially the playing field so that the final football matches are played under an enclosed venue to tame hooliganism.
Various games are played, ranging from soccer, volleyball, tennis, basketball, netball, lawn tennis, swimming among others. However, many fans tend to focus a lot on football.
By George Kaiga
