Time to jubilate

New SportPesa Premier League champions, Tusker will this week travel to Kampala for a celebratory tour, culminating in a friendly match against Ugandan champions Kampala City Council Authority.

The brewers are scheduled to depart Nairobi on Wednesday for Kampala, where they will face Ugandan giants KCCA on Saturday at the Philip Omondi Stadium in Lugogo.

Tusker were crowned Kenyan champions on Saturday at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi and signed off their splendid season in style, beating old enemies and deposed champions Gor Mahia by a solitary goal.

Tusker coach Paul Nkata, a native of Uganda, said even though the celebrating brewers will be enjoying themselves on tour, they will treat the friendly seriously as they use it to gauge themselves against foreign opposition ahead of next year’s CAF Champions League. Tusker won the 2016 Kenyan flight league with 61 points from 30 matches. They won 17 matches, drew 10 and lost three and scored a league high of 40 goals and conceded 25.

The brewers, who won their 11th title, were confirmed the 2016 champions in a brief but colourful awards ceremony held at the Nyayo National Stadium.

And they had the last laugh over title rivals Gor Mahia, whom they beat by a single goal at the same venue to assert their dominance and end their season on a high.

Allan Wanga came on as a second half substitute and accounted for the single goal that put to rest any doubt of which team was the best this season.

Elsewhere,

Ulinzi Stars right back Cylus Shitote has termed his injury scarred season as his worst yet and he is hopeful of having a full season under his belt for the soldiers next year.

After battling injury on and off for almost 12 months, the former Sony Sugar defender made a resounding return to the team in the second half season and has been giving commanding performances on the right side of defence since then helping Robert Matnao’s men to a respectable third place finish in the Premier League as well as reaching the final of the GOtv Shield .

“It was a knee injury which kept recurring and it really pulled me behind in terms of the progress I have made and it was the worst period in my career. But I always gave myself hope because it was not a fracture and neither did I go for surgery. I always knew I would come out of it stronger,” Shitote said on the club’s official portal.

Shitote described the period he was out with injury as the worst in his career, but said it has spurred him to be more determined to make the best out of every opportunity he will get to play. The midfielder now hopes to rake in more playing time and is already looking ahead at next season, hoping to play a bigger role for the team.

“I feel really happy having come back and making it into the team. It has not been easy. I have had to do a lot of gym work and training on my own to get back. Hopefully next season, I can give in more for the team,” the former Sony Sugar man added. Meanwhile Ulinzi Stars John Mark Makwata is the 2016 SportPesa Premier League Golden Boot winner with 15 goals under his name. It probably could have been a different golden boot race had 12-goal strikers Wycliffe Ochomo (Muhoroni Youth) and Kepha Aswani (AFC Leopards) not been suspended by their clubs for disciplinary reasons.

Top scorers list

15: John Makwatta (Ulinzi Stars); 12: Wycliffe Ochomo (Muhoroni Youth), Kepha Aswani (Leopards); 10: Jacques Tuyisenge (Gor); 8: Obadiah Ndege (Mathare United)

7: Andrew Murunga (Homeboyz), Whyvonne Isuza (Mathare United), Jared Obwoge (Chemelil Sugar); 6: Fredrick Shimonyo (Western Stima), Eugene Mukangula (Thika United), Timothy Otieno (Posta Rangers), George Odhiambo (Gor Mahia), Anthony Ndolo (Tusker), Anthony Kimani (Bandari), Amos Asembeka (Sony Sugar), David King’atua (Bandari), Noah Abich (Sofapaka); 5: Hillary Echesa (Chemelil), Dan Sserunkuma (Bandari), Stephen Owuso (Tusker), Michael Khamati (Tusker), Lwamba Bebeto (Muhoroni Youth), Ahmed Ali Bai (Homeboyz), Allan Katerrega (Leopards), Eric Johanna (Mathare United), Allan Wanga (Tusker).