A provisional squad of 25 players have been selected ahead of the Africa Para Games scheduled for September in Accra, Ghana.
Speaking after the national trials in Eldoret, the technical director Hashim Kamau said the selected players head into training camp and will be cut down to 15 before traveling to Ghana.
He said the team selection was easy because the majority of the players are seasoned and have been on the national team for a long time.
“Five of the players in the squad are professionals who play outside the country especially in Turkey while others have been in the national team and playing across the country. With such players, it was easy to select a team,” said Kamau.
He said this year’s team is promising especially after the trials which are rarely held. “We have a solid and strong team. During trials, each player was determined to earn a slot and this gave us a chance to pick the best,” he added.
Nairobi County emerged victorious after beating Kakamega County 1-0 during the final at the national trials. Sammy Kariuki scored the solitary goal to hand Joshua Simiyu’s side the match-needed victory.
Nairobi were 3-0 winners over hosts Uasin Gishu in the semifinals with a brace from Brian Oroka and a goal from Muhammed Munga.
Kakamega defeated Kiambu 4-3 in post-match penalties following a barren draw in the normal time in the other semifinal.
With six counties in the competition, Nairobi recorded 100 percent victories, beating Kiambu 1-0 and Bungoma 4-0 in Pool A. In other Pool 'A' matches, Kiambu beat Bungoma 1-0.
In the other pool matches, Kakamega garnered four points with a 1-1 draw against Uasin Gishu and a 1-0 win over Bomet.
Nairobi County coach Simiyu said they traveled with the sole purpose of winning. “Our mission here was to win and I am glad we achieved our target. This means we will get more slots in the national squad,” said Simiyu.
