Hola Eagles and Kipini Fillets are the champions of a two-day volleyball peace tournament organized by Tana River Peace Reconciliation and Development (TRPRD) CBO which is funded by the European Union.
Hola Eagles men’s team beat their competitors Kipini team 3 sets to zero to clinch the coveted volleyball tournament trophy while in the women’s category Kipini Fillets carried the day by beating the Tigeress team 3-2.
The tournament brought together eight male and four women teams drawn from Tana River and Tana Delta Sub-Counties. The matches were held at Laza Primary School on Saturday and Sunday.
“The peace tournament’s main objective is to promote peaceful co-existence through sports. The tournament brought together people from different background. The tournament also creates awareness among youth so that they know that there is winning and losing and that should not be reason to fight. This is to train the youth who are future leaders to accept election results,’’ said Harrison Morowa, TRPRD Programme Coordinator.
Assistant County Commissioner Godfrey Mwachofi who represented the County Commissioner led in awarding trophies to the winners. Mwachofi urged the participating teams to live in harmony and maintain peace.
“The main goal is to keep peace in Tana River, we are thankful that we have been there for eight years, there are no conflicts, the elections have come in 2017 and 2022, there were no conflicts, and we want it to continue like that, let’s continue to maintain peace,” he urged.
Andrew Kokani captain of the Kipini men’s team said Tana youth are embracing sports unlike in the past. “We are grateful to see organizations committed to promoting peace through volleyball. It is the first of its kind in Tana,” Kokani added.
Mary Oyacko, Captain of Kipini Fillets said volleyball had for long been forgotten in Tana, but it is currently being accorded the attention it deserves.
“We are elated by the victory, sports bring together different people to interact and get to understand each other thus reducing conflicts,” she said.
Area Acting Chief Officer for Culture Abajila Shora said during the finals of the tournament that the County Government has started to scout for volleyball players to represent Tana in the Coast region games in Kwale soon.
By Sadik Hassan
