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St Mary's Yala, All Saints Embu get the party going as school games begin
Tigoi Girls Hockey team pose for a photo at Kisumu Day High School grounds on April 6, 2026.
Kisumu City comes alive this morning as Brookside Secondary Schools Term One National Games get underway across seven venues.
More than 2,000 students from eight regions across the country have converged on the lake side city to battle for top honours in various disciplines for the next five days.
The fields of competition include basketball (5-on-5), fifteens rugby, handball, hockey, swimming, athletics, cross country, decathlon and heptathlon.
The opening ceremony will be held at Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium (JKIS) in Mamboleo estate, before the opening matches kick off.
Apart from the coveted national bragging rights, the top three teams in each category will represent the country in the East Africa Secondary School Games, slated for August in Morogoro, Tanzania.
Fireworks are expected across various disciplines as mouth-watering clashes have been lined up on Day One of the championships.
The pick of the day will be in boys’ rugby, where 2024 champions All Saints Embu from Eastern Region will square it out with Nyanza Region heavyweights St Mary’s School Yala from Siaya County.
The two teams will take on the pitch at 10 am, shortly after the opening ceremony. The battle will run concurrently with another encounter between Nairobi’s Upper Hill and Coast’s Kwale High School.
The Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association Champions and last year’s losing finalists, Kisii High (Nyanza), will begin the championships with an evening clash against Mang’u High from Central Kenya. Last year’s winners, Vihiga Boys, will not be in this year’s championships for failing to qualify for the nationals. They crashed out of the championships at the semis in the Western Kenya regional games, which were held a fortnight ago at Chavakali High School.
Kyeni Girls handball team go through warm-up drills at Kisumu Boys High School grounds on April 6, 2026,
Another evening clash will see new western Kenya champions, Bungoma High with Rift Valley’s representatives, Menengai High School, from 3.30 pm.
All Saints Embu, St Mary’s Yala , Kwale High School and Upper Hill are in group A, which many pundits view as a group of death.
Pool B has Kisii High, Menengai High , Mangu High and Bungoma High.
Nyanza was awarded an extra slot because the North Eastern region does not usually field a team in the sport, and in such a case, the hosting region usually takes it.
Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) Secretary General David Ngugi said all preparations have been put in place.
“We are ready for the champions. We have been here since Friday, conducting referees’ clinics. Teams arrived safely on Sunday. Marking of pitches is in place. It is all systems go here in Kisumu,” Ngugi said while expressing optimism that the activities will not be interrupted by the heavy rains that continue to pound many parts of the country.
As rugby will be played at JIKS, athletics events will be held at Kisumu Boys' High School. Handball and basketball fixtures will be at Kisumu National Polytechnic, while hockey competitions will be held at Kisumu Day grounds.
The championships received a shot in the arm last week when KSSSA signed a deal with renowned milk processor Brookside Dairies to sponsor the national games at a tune of Sh30 million.
Each team will get two sets of uniforms and other necessities from the milk processor.
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