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Vihiga Boys High School’s rugby players celebrate after being crowned champions of rugby 15s at the 2025 secondary schools Term One national games at Shimo la Tewa Secondary School in Mombasa on April 13, 2025.
Three teams that won titles in 2025 Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) national games in Mombasa will not be in Kisumu to defend their titles in this year’s championship.
Vihiga Boys, St Luke’s Kimilili High School and Musingu High School won titles in boys’ 15s rugby, boys’ handball and boys’ hockey last year in Mombasa, but did not survive Western Region championships this year.
This year’s championships will be held at various venues in Kisumu from April 7 to 11. The teams will compete in rugby, handball, hockey, basketball, athletics, swimming, decathlon and heptathlon.
Rugby matches will be staged at Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Mamboleo, while athletics events will take place at Kisumu Boys High School. Handball and basketball fixtures will be at Kisumu Polytechnic, and hockey competitions will be held at Kisumu Day grounds.
Handball matches will take place at Kisumu National Polytechnic grounds. Referees and technical officials are expected in Kisumu this morning for pre-tournament clinics. All participating teams will report in Kisumu tomorrow, ready for action.
Fierce competition is expected because the top two teams from championship will represent Kenya at the 2026 Federation of East Africa Schools Sports Association (FEASSA) Championship that will take place in Tanzania from August 12 to 23.
Vihiga Boys, who won last year’s national title in Mombasa after beating Kisii School 14-6 in the final played at Shimo La Tewa High School, crashed out of this year’s championships after falling 7-0 in the hands of Kakamega High School in Western Region games held last month at Chavakali High School.
Musingu High School football team players with their coach Brenden Mwinamo (left) at Sudi Stadium, in Bungoma on July 20 during the Western Region Term Two Games.
Bungoma High School return to the national showpiece after a 10-year hiatus. The last time Bungoma High School played at the nationals was in 2016, and they went all the way too the final and won the title.
Multiple national hockey champions, Friends School Kamusinga, are also back on the national scene after ending Musingu High School’s dominance in the sport. Kamusinga beat Musingu 3 -1 in the final of Western Region championships to book a ticket to the national games after a three-year absence.
Musingu will however represent Western region in boys’ handball after they toppled defending champions St Luke’s Kimilili High School 22-20 in another closely-contested final in the region.
While some giants fell at regional levels, others will be returning to try and defend their titles.
Laiser Hill Academy (boys’ basketball), Butere Girls (basketball) Tigoi Girls (hockey) and Moi Girls Kamusinga (handball) survived the regional championships and will be in Kisumu, aiming to retain their titles.
St Luke’s Kimilili Boys High School captain Emmanuel Chesebe leads teammates in celebration after winning boys' handball competition during Kenya Secondary Schools Association National Term One games finals at Machakos School.on April 13, 2024.
Speaking in Nairobi on Wednesday, KSSSA Secretary General, David Ngugi, said the stage is set for the national championships.
While signing a sponsorship deal worth Sh30 million with Brookside Dairy, Ngugi said teams will arrive in Kisumu tomorrow ahead of Day One action which begins on Tuesday.
“Teams will arrive in Kisumu on Sunday. On Monday, they will rest and will start competing on Tuesday,” Ngugi said.
Boys will be housed at Kisumu Day High School, while girls will be accommodated at St Theresa’s Girls Secondary School.
Ngugi emphasised that the association had put in place adequate measures to ensure that only eligible students compete.
“Age-cheating has been a persistent problem but since last year, things have improved significantly. We have developed an app where teams should register all participating Grade 10 students by November of the previous year, just after the Term Two games, to deter age-cheating ,” Ngugi said.
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