The Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) held its inaugural indoor games at the Goan Institute in Nairobi on Saturday, November 29 featuring matches in table tennis, chess and darts.
The event, sponsored by KCB Bank, Coca-Cola, LG East Africa and Excel Chemicals in kind, brought together over 50 SJAK members from various media houses across the country.
In table tennis, Duncan Mutua of TV47 emerged the overall winner, beating Luqman Mohammed of Citizen TV 11-7 in the best-of-one format. Mohammed had earlier beaten Gregory Mulemi of Sporty FM 11-2.
In chess, SJAK President James Waindi took the top spot, followed closely by Anita Omwenga of the Kenya News Agency (KNA) and Brandon Asiema of Radio Africa Group, who came second and third, respectively.
In darts, Anita Omwenga of KNA clinched victory with James Waindi and Peter Njoroge of BBC taking second and third place, respectively.
The top three winners in the chess game were each awarded a chessboard and a shopping voucher for overall winners in the categories of chess, table tennis and darts, respectively.
Peter Njoroge of BBC was one of the best all-rounders, finishing third in men’s chess and third overall in Darts. Rebecca Magoma was the best lady in table tennis.
Mike Kuria, an ITTF-trained instructor, conducted the table tennis bit while Benson
Ngari, a top Kenyan seed, officiated in darts games.
KCB Bank Head of Corporates and Stakeholder Relations Peter Mwaura emphasised the value of partnerships in supporting such initiatives, highlighting the importance of promoting a healthy and active lifestyle among media personalities.
“KCB Bank is proud to have sponsored the SJAK Sports Day. This event is a testament to the power of partnership and collaboration. We look forward to continuing our support for SJAK,” he said.
On his part, SJAK President James Waindi said the initiative is designed to deepen knowledge about the rules of indoor games and create more engaging ways for sports journalists to connect with their audiences, both on and off the field.
Waindi said that this year’s event marked the first time SJAK’s sports day featured indoor games, and the positive reception and the eagerness to make it an annual affair suggest that this may become a key event on the SJAK calendar in the future.
“This year, we intended to do something different to help our members learn the rules of indoor games, unlike previous years when we went outdoors,” he said.
The president expressed his satisfaction with the event, noting the success of combining competition with educational opportunities for journalists.
He said that initiative not only gave journalists a chance to showcase their own abilities and talent in sports but also allowed them to learn new skills in various sports.
“As sports journalists, we often cover various sporting events, but we also wanted to create an opportunity for ourselves to engage in sports and have fun,” Waindi said.
He said the event was an excellent example of how sports can unite even those who are usually on the sidelines, reporting on the games, rather than participating in them.
The indoor games offered sports journalists an opportunity to network and engage in friendly competition, all while honing their skills in sports.
By Bethsheba Abuya
