Makueni Sub-county All Stars Football Club beat Kibwezi East All Stars 1-0 to win this year’s MKJ Supa Cup tournament in a hotly contested final held at Unoa Sports Ground on Sunday.
By halftime, it was goalless despite attacks by both teams; however, the deadlock was broken in the 88th minute when the Makueni All Stars Captain, Malai Mathuka, got a through pass and he gave a hard kick that sailed into the net past the Kibwezi All Stars goalkeeper, that threw the fans into jubilation.
As a result, the Makueni team was awarded a trophy and a Sh250, 000 Award, while the runners-up, Kibwezi East, received Sh150, 000.
In Women Football, Makueni Sub-county thrashed Mbooni Sub-County 3-1 and were awarded a trophy and Sh200, 000 with Mbooni receiving Sh100, 000.
Other games played were volleyball for women where Kilome received Sh80, 000 and Makueni received Sh70, 000, while in Beach Handball Ladies, Kibwezi West got Sh35, 000, while the runners-up, Makueni, received Sh29, 000.
In other games, Beach handball men, Makueni got Sh35, 000 and Kilome received Sh 29,000; in beach volleyball women, Mbooni received Sh15, 000 and Kibwezi East got Sh10, 000; while in Beach volleyball men, Makueni got Sh15, 000 while Kilome received Sh10, 000.
From each game, there will be one team that will be selected to represent the county in the Kenya Youth Intercounty Association (KYSA) scheduled to be held in Homabay as from 13/04/2025.
Speaking at the event, Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. said his Administration was out to empower the youths in an effort to discourage them from getting involved in drug and substance abuse that is rampant in the area.
Mutula lauded the Makueni County Assembly for allocating funds that have helped the youths to realize their talents while adding that his government will invest more in the youths of the county.
“As a government, we shall endeavour to allocate more funds to help our youths. I hope these games will help them from being involved in criminal activities,” Mutula said while addressing the teams and fans on Sunday at Unoa Sports Ground.
The Makueni County Assembly Speaker, Douglas Mbilu, challenged the County government to construct modern stadiums where the youths can play with the aim of improving their talents that can be a source of income.
“Our players are giving their best, but they are forced to compete in poor fields that put their safety at risk. The county government must construct good stadiums,” Mbilu said.
On the stalled Wote Stadium, the Speaker called on the government to investigate and arrest the culprits responsible for misappropriating funds meant for constructing the stadium.
Those present included Makueni Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili, Gender, Sports Executive Committee Member (ECM) Eng. Sebastian Kyoni and his Devolution counterpart Nicolas Nzioka, and Wote/Nziu Ward MCA Felix Mateso, among other county government officials.
By Patrick Nyakundi and Ken Ndivo
