Kenya beat Ethiopia 36-34 to bag a bronze medal in the Under-18 International Handball Federation (IHF) Africa Zone Five Championship match at the Ulinzi Sports Complex, Langata.
The host had a strong lead of 20-11 at the break but laxity in defence allowed the Ethiopians to come back and their move nearly bore fruits.
Kenya, who were the defending champions having bagged the gold medal 2018 in Uganda, lost 38-29 to Rwanda in the semi finals.
"I am happy with the bronze. The boys did well. We would have done better if we had trained for a long time," said Kenya coach Juma Gerald.
"Because of the school curriculum, we were not able to get some of our players. In future if this changes and we train together for long, we should be able to do better."
Kenya's Richard Mayindo and Ethiopia's Damawi Haiku were the delight of the crowd as the duo traded goals at every opportunity.
Mayindo scored 13 goals to lead the winners but the losers Haiku went two higher hitting the target with a game high of 16 goals.
Alma's Wanyonyi and captain Yusuf Pwoka nailed eight and five respectively. Tadesse Tefra shot six and Daniel Tefra five for the losers.
Ethiopia U-20 side bagged the bronze when they dismissed Burundi 43-40 after leading 20-19 at half-time.
Leading scorers for the Ethiopians was Erbeto Abebe who hit nine while Abirhan Tilahun and Abraham Kasahun added eight each.
Jean Ndikuriyo, Irakuze Juvenal and Ellie Ndayikeru each registered six goals for the Burundians.
