Kakamega County government has set aside Ksh100,000 ($772) for every team that will win a trophy during the Western Regional Secondary School Sports Association Championship being hosted by St Peters’ Mumias High School, Kakamega.

The pledge is intended to spur local schools to perform better as the county prepares to host national school games and East and Central Africa School games next month.

Kakamega is often been billed as the cradle of team sports in Kenya, having dominated football, rugby, volleyball, basketball, cricket and netball since competitive sports was introduced in the region previously known as North Nyanza or North Kavirondo more than a century ago.

The first team to represent Kenya in Gossage Cup (now Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations or Cecafa) in 1927 that pitted Kenya against Uganda and Tanzania was made up of footballers from the defunct North Kavirondo (later Western Province) that consisted of Kakamega, Bungoma, Vihiga, Busia and Trans Nzoia.

Since then, the defunct Western Province has excelled in team sports – a feat people say is powered by local culture of Vulala or teamwork – that has spurred Kenya to dominance in African volleyball, rugby and cricket. Attempts to reignite the passion that drove the interest have often come short with the reward system cited as a major downside.

The regional games officially got underway on Wednesday and will last four days.

Kakamega County is presenting over 450 student participants in 14 disciplines. Schools from Kakamega will slug it out with their counterparts from Bungoma, Busia and Vihiga.

The disciplines include football for boys and girls, basketball for boys and girls, netball, volleyball (boys and girls), rugby (boys and girls), lawn tennis (boys and girls), badminton (boys and girls and table tennis (boys and girls).

Kakamega County Governor Fernandez Barasa said he expects a derby style competition from sport giants like Butere Girls Soccer, which played at the finals of the East Africa Secondary School Games in Uganda last year.

Fierce competition is also expected in soccer boys, rugby boys and other disciplines. The schools will be vying for a slot in the national secondary school games and later to East Africa games – to be hosted by Kakamega County.

Kakamega is hosting the regional games for western, then national games as it prepares to welcome visitors for the Federation of East Africa Secondary School Sports Championship in August.

Speaking as he flagged off the Kakamega teams at St Peters Mumias Boys High School, Barasa asked students to exercise a high level of discipline and maintain focus.

“I want to emphasise the fact that as you excel in sports, let us maintain being the academic champions in the nation and in the region because that is what will give you an opportunity even when you want to go far in sports,” he added.

He also asked the competitors to engage in fair play competition and use the opportunity to interact.

“This is an opportunity for you to shine and also make us proud,” he said.

The governor assured participants of high-level preparations in the county sports fields to host all the competitions in the coming weeks. He said the county is going to be very busy asking the business community to utilise the opportunity to interact and sell their merchandise.

The governor disclosed that Bukhungu Stadium turf is being developed at the standard similar to those approved by the International Federation Association of Football (FIFA) to host the national school games and the East African games.

“The works are going very well at Bukhungu Stadium and I have been assured by the contractor that we are going to have a FIFA standard turf ground. We are also preparing the stadium to host the 2027 African Cup of Nations. We are much focused and I am sure by June next year our Stadium will be 100 per cent complete,” he pointed out.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Moses Wekesa

Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa hands over the county flag to schools that will represent the county in the Western Regional Sports Championship that begins on Wednesday at St Peters Mumias Boys High School. Credit: Kakamega County Communication Department.