Kwanthanze Girls and St Anthony’s Kitale are still the teams to beat as the nominees for the Sports Personality of the Year schools’ category were reduced to five in each gender.
Kwanthanze are the African volleyball champions, having beaten hosts Lycee Bin Anzarane in Rabat, Morocco, last year.
They won in straight sets of 25-15, 25-10, 25-16 to add the continental gong to their East Africa crown.
Kwanthanze fell to Kesogon at the national finals but turned the tables when the two teams met during the East Africa Games in Karubanda grounds in Huye, Rwanda.
This was Kwanthanze’s seventh regional title and booked them a slot at the International Schools Volleyball Championships to be held from April 19 to 29 in Belgrade, Serbia.
Also in contention are Butere Girls’, Kesogon, St Joseph’s Kitale and Nyamira Girls’.
Butere returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines to clinch the national hockey title with a 1-0 win over former national and East Africa champions Wiyeta.
Kesogon outclassed Africa schools’ champions Kwanthanze 3-1 to snatch the national volleyball title in their second appearance at the games, having settled for silver in 2022.
Nyamira bagged their first East Africa title after dethroning Uganda’s Kakungulu Memorial in the football final. St Joseph’s Girls’ High School Kitale dethroned former East Africa handball title holders Moi Girls’ Kamusinga.
National football champions St Anthony’s Boys High School Kitale lead the hunt for the boys’ title alongside national and East Africa rugby 7s champions Koyonzo Secondary, East Africa volleyball champions Namwela, Butula Boys (rugby 15s) and Onjiko (basketball 3x3).
Koyonzo ruled all the levels of 7s rugby, dismantling the likes of Kakamega High School and St Peter’s Mumias.
Butula made history as the first team from Busia County to not only qualify for the national championships but also won the 15s title.
They also, under the tutelage of former St Peter’s Mumias tactician Shimenga Livondo, won a silver medal at the East Africa Games.
Namwela, under the guidance of coach/school bus driver Isaac Muresia, defied the odds to win the continental title and book a ticket to the International Schools Sports Federation (ISF) World School Volleyball Championship.
Kwanthanze volleyball coach Justine Kigwari, Muresia, Nyamira’s Stephen Kigai, Peter Mayoyo of St Anthony’s and Koyonzo’s Eliud Okwemba will battle it out for the School Coach of the Year accolade. Kigwari eyes a second title.
