Kirinyaga Governor, Anne Waiguru, has launched another season of the county football tournament in which 180 football clubs will compete for a Sh1.5 million cash reward for the winner.
The tournament is running under the theme ‘Fomu ni Futaa Badala ya Kamnyweso’ (The Plan is Football Instead of Alcohol), as it will be used as a platform to raise awareness on drug and substance abuse through sports.
The football clubs comprised 160 teams for men and 20 teams for women drawn from the 20 wards, with around 4,500 youth actively involved in various capacities.
Waiguru said that the tournament will also be an opportunity to identify and nurture sports talents among the youth, enrich the lives of talented football players from Kirinyaga, making football a source of income, and create a link and platform between local players and the football market.
She said that the tournament will start at the ward level, where the best two teams will proceed to the sub-county level. Thereafter, the best 5 male teams and 5 female teams will proceed to the county level to fight it out to the finals.
Waiguru noted that during the tournament, there will be scouting for the best players who will eventually form a team that will be representing the County in competitions such as the Kenya Youth Inter-County Sports Association (KYISA) games.
“From the previous tournament, I am glad to report that some youth scouted at the wards were able to join Kirinyaga Stars and are now playing at the FKF regional tournaments. The initiative thus exposes them to moving upwards to bigger leagues,” she added.
The governor said that the county government has continuously supported the local teams through the provision of sports kits, rehabilitation of playing grounds and ward-based tournaments that have been taking place across the county, appealing to the youth to be steadfast in their quest for a better life and remain undistracted by wayward activities such as drug and alcohol abuse.
To further support sport development in the county, Waiguru said that five acres of land have been set aside at the Sagana Industrial Park for the establishment of sports facilities, which will include football and volleyball pitches.
At the same time, she directed for a proper handing over of Wang’uru Stadium so as to enable the County Government manage it for the benefit of Kirinyaga people. The stadium was constructed by the National Government following intense lobbying by the governor.
The event was attended by Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), the county executive, officials from the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and players from some of the participating teams.
By Mutai Kipngetich
