After playing bridesmaid to opponents last year, little-known St Teresa’s Girls High School Kithimu from Embu County hope to go one place better in rugby when they compete in Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) Term Two national games in Kakamega on Sunday.
The championships will take place at three venues; Sacred heart Mukumu Girls School, Kakamega High, and at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology in Kakamega County from July 27 to August 2.
Teams will compete in football, volleyball, sevens rugby, 3-on-3 basketball, netball, and racquet games. Kakamega County will also host East Africa Secondary School Games from August 14-24.
Tucked away in a sleepy Kithimu village in Embu, St Teresa's players embody the aspirations of Embu County at the KSSSA Term Two national championships.
St Teresa’s Girls beat Mbitini High 63-0 in the final of girls’ rugby in Eastern region championships held at Kangaru School early this month to qualify for the nationals for a second consecutive year.
At last year’s national championships, St Teresa’s Girls finished third overall after beating Nyagicheche 12-3 in the third place play-off match. St Joseph’s Kitale won the title, followed by Kinale Girls Secondary School.
With that performance, St Teresa’s Girls qualified for East Africa secondary school games in which they again finished third behind St Joseph’s Kitale and Kinale Girls Secondary.
“We started our training sessions as early as the second term of last year, just after sevens rugby was introduced in the KSSSA games calendar,” Macharia said.
“Previously, I coached the hockey team for a year, but I am happy to be with the rugby team,” he added.
The team is captained by Mercy Juliet Karimi. Other key members of the squad are Lisper Nelima, and Shantel Murugi. The school from a sleepy village called Kithimu in Embu County won silver medal in 2025 Prescott Cup, the top rugby tournament for Kenyan schools.
Their efforts have not gone unnoticed. Last year, 12 members of the squad were invited for the Kenya women’s rugby team trials ahead of the 2024 Olympic held in Paris.
Murugi says playing rugby has instilled in her a sense of unity, team work, and purpose. She had never played rugby before but discovered her talent upon joining the school team. She now reckons rugby is a sociable game and not the violent sport that it is portrayed to be.
The school’s chief principal, Margaret Mbogo, hopes they can surprise opponents in Kakamega and go one step better.
“The girls are good at what they do, and we will support them so that they can make careers for themselves and put Kithimu village on the international map,” she said.
