Butali Warriors' forward Festus Onyango hopes to make the final squad of the Kenya men's hockey team currently preparing for the African Cup of Nations slated for January 17-23, Accra, Ghana.
Onyango believes he's in better shape both physically and psychologically for duty in the next fortnight.
Onyango was unavailable because of exams last year when the team was assembled to prepare for the North East Africa qualifiers which were eventually canceled.
Kenya and Uganda booked the Afcon slots by virtue of being the only countries to confirm participation in the regional qualifiers staged in Nairobi in March last year.
Egypt, Burundi, Libya, Seychelles, Sudan, and Tanzania gave the event a wide berth. This saw Kenya instead host Uganda for friendly matches at the Dashmesh Hockey Stadium.
"I am happy to be back to the fold. Hopefully, I have done enough to convince the selectors I deserve to be in the traveling party for the Ghana showpiece," he said.
Onyango scored four goals in the Olympic qualifiers in 2019. He has been consistent in the local league, scoring a minimum of 18 goals per season for Stathmore Gladiators between 2016 and 2019 before sealing his dream move to Butali.
At the same time, Kenya Police midfielder Willis Okeyo reckons he still has a lot to offer to the team despite not being summoned for duty.
He urged KHU to write to Police management so that he can be released to start training. The Embakasi-based officer doubles up as USIU-A Spartans coach and has been the unsung hero in hockey circles.
He has played professionally in Bangladesh and Germany, where he will return in May.
The men's team is in Pool 'A' alongside South Africa and Namibia while the women will fancy their chance against Ghana, Nigeria and Namibia in Pool B.
