James Muthii in action during a national team hockey training session at City park grounds in Nairobi on July 23, 2023.
Kenyan hockey will hope for better fortunes in 2024 after a disastrous 2023 that ended with an international ban on players featuring for Kenya Hockey Union's women's Premier League side Lakers.
The men's 5-a-side team will debut at the inaugural International Hockey Federation World Cup on January 28-31 in Muscat, Oman. Kenya are drawn in a tough Pool "C" that has Australia, New Zealand, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Kenya, featuring Silong Newton, Masambu Bethuel, Edison Ndombi, Ivan Ludiali, Richard Kariuki, Moses Ogenche, Danstone Barry and Cliff Omari booked a place in the event after finishing third behind Nigeria and winners Egypt in the qualifiers held in Egypt last year.
The Kenyan men’s beat Zambia 5-2 to place third. Their women counterparts failed to book a ticket for the global event after they finished last in the qualifiers that attracted four teams. Namibia, Zambia and South Africa will be the continent's representatives.
The top two teams in the four pools will book a place in the quarter-finals and KHU chairman Nashon Randiek is confident the team will leave a mark at the global stage.
"There is no time to rest and that's why the players will only have a few days off for festivities before they resume training for the competition," said Randiek.
"It's a tough pool but we are equally preparing well for our presence to be felt. It’s a first time for every team and that makes it more interesting,” he added.
The refurbishment of the dilapidated City Park Stadium turf is top on the in-tray for the union after the visit by the International Hockey Federation president Tayyab Akram last December. He promised to work in unison with the Union and the Ministry of Sports to refurbish the facility.
Laying a new turf will cost IHF and the Ministry Sh80 million. Work is expected to begin next month after the completion of the KHU Leagues.
Leaders Butali (30 points) are on course to retain their men's Premier League title. They are hotly pursued by Police (27) and Jaguar 25) in that order. Butali and Police have played 13 games, while Jaguars have two games in hand.
At the bottom end, Kenya College of Accountancy University (KCAU) and Greensharks are in danger of relegation to the second tier after amassing nine and eight points from 15 and 14 matches played.
In the women's category, former champions Blazers are on course to reclaim the title. Blazers have a comfortable lead with 30 points from 11 matches, while defending champions Strathmore University and Lakers are a distant second and third with 18 and 17 points from 11 and eight matches played.
At the bottom end, varsity sides Kenyatta University and the University of Nairobi both have seven points from seven and 10 matches played each.
Hockey enthusiasts will quickly want to forget the events of 2023 that saw Lakers handed a hefty fine of Euros 3,000 (Sh1,025,247) by the Africa Hockey Federation (AfHF) for misconduct during the 25th edition of Africa Cup of Clubs Championships (ACCC) held in Blantyre, Malawi between November 18 and 26.
The financial sanctions were broken down to Euros 2,000 to be paid by the club, and Euros 1,000 to be paid by club officials John Otieno (team manager), Austin Onyango (head coach), Elizabeth Obong’o (assistant coach) and Robert Oketch (assistant team manager).
The officials were also handed a five-year ban from all hockey activities. The community-based sports club from Kisumu County, who travelled to Blantyre by road, fielded ineligible players in the tournament and prevented the final match between Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and former champions Blazes from Kenya from taking place by storming to the pitch.
This forced AHF President Seif Ahmed to toss a coin to decide the winner. The Ghanaian side consequently retained the title.
All the Lakers players on the team sheet during the tournament in Malawi, regardless of whether they were registered with the club or were from another club, have been banned from all forms of hockey (local and international) for one year.
Some six Lakers players, namely, Aurelia Atieno Opondo, Mourine Owiti, Alice Owiti, Pauline Ochieng, Millicent Adhiambo and Maureen Achieng, are a mainstay of the national team and will miss this year's Africa Games.
National women's hockey captain Gilly Okumu was also part of the Lakers team in Malawi.
On a positive note, Western Jaguars defied odds to finish second behind winners Sharkia of Egypt in the men's event after losing 4-2.
Jaguars travelled by road covering over 2,100km from Nairobi through Namanga,Arusha Dodoma, Iringa,Mbeya to Kasumulu/Songwe border to Lilongwe then Blantyre.
Kenyan teams will watch this year's Paris Olympics on television after failing to qualify during last year's continental qualifiers in South Africa. The South Africans will once again fly the continent’s flag at the Olympics.
