Favourites Obunga FC and Ebwali Secondary School stormed the Safaricom Chapa Dimba semis after overcoming their opponents in the quarter-finals in Kisumu.
Obunga edged LYSA 3-1 at Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Kisumu while Ebwali saw off Chuka University Scorpions 2-1 in a tough encounter.
At Moi Stadium, Talanta Hela stars Austine Odongo and Derick Oketch grabbed Ebwali’s two goals against Chuka University’s Scorpions. Eric Rooney scored Chuka University’s lone goal.
Ebwali coach Francis Muhambe said the game was tough. “As expected, Chuka University was stronger than us. They were more experienced than us but we were tactically better. However, the artificial turf took a toll on my players. I hope they will recover in time for the semi-finals,” said Muhambe.
He added: “The semi-finals will be equally difficult but I hope my players will give their best again.”
At Jomo Kenyatta Stadium, striker Rodgers Omondi put Obunga FC ahead in the sixth minute of the first half following a rebound from Brian Omondi before LYSA equalized through Lokalia John.
Bill Clinton restored Obunga’s lead in the 26th minute while Sydney Ogutu scored the third goal in the second half of the match.
Obunga coach Evans Oketch alias Uche said the boys mastered well the game plan and utilised the created chances to score.
He expressed confidence that he would reach the final and lift the trophy. "We had previously played a friend match with Bandari youth. We are confident that we will be at the final," Oketch said.
He has coached the boys for about 10 years and they have mastered their game plan which will help them to proceed to the finals.
Oketch noted that the absence of Dancun Omalla, who is currently at the ABM football academy in Mali, has not impacted much of the overall team performance.
Bungoma-based Brenda Girls booked s semi-final date with Wiyeta after defeating Kitui's Syomunyu 4-2 at Kenyatta Stadium Mamboleo.
At Moi Stadium in Kisumu, Wiyeta coached by Calisto Murunga, edged Dagoretti Mixed 1-0. Charity Nekesa scored the lone goal for Wiyeta, who finished the game with 10 players after Doreen Wandera was sent off.
The winning teams in the national finals will walk away with Sh1 million in cash, with the runners-up and second runners-up taking home Sh500,000 and Sh250,000 respectively (both boys’ and girls’ teams).
In addition to the prize money, players in the winning teams, runners-up and second runners-up, will also get Neon Smartphones, the first locally assembled 4G smartphone in Kenya.
The outstanding players, including the best goalkeeper, top scorer and Most Valuable Player (boys and girls), will each receive Sh50,000.
In addition, this year’s tournament has also offered 150 TVET scholarships to Most Valuable Players (MVPs), empowering them with education and skills for life beyond football.
The national finals follow successful grassroots games (ward level, county finals, intercounty play-offs, and regional finals) conducted across the eight regions of the country.
They are Western, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Eastern, Coast, North Eastern, Nairobi, and Central regions, where 3,353 teams and over 60,300 players were featured in the tournament.
