By OUR CORRESPONDENT
Holders the University of Eldoret (UOE) will be seeking to defend their netball titles in both the men’s and women’s categories at the Kenya Universities Sports Federation (KUSF) ball games play-offs set to run from Thursday morning through Sunday afternoon.
The four-day championships, hosted at Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), will bring together the top two teams from each KUSF Conference across the country between March 26 and March 29.
The play-offs will feature a range of disciplines including football, netball, basketball, hockey, rugby sevens, and volleyball. In a new addition this year, rugby 15s has been introduced, expanding the competition lineup.
UOE netball head coach Stellar Kiptoo remains optimistic about her team’s chances of retaining the title they won last year at Kenyatta University. She noted that qualification was hard-earned during the Rift Valley Conference Championships held at Maasai Mara University.
“We played very competitive championships where we managed to beat Egerton University to qualify for the nationals,” she said.
Despite their status as defending champions, Kiptoo acknowledged the challenge ahead after losing several key players.
“At the nationals, we have to work extra hard after five of my first-team players graduated, leaving only two. This will pose a challenge, but we are ready for it,” she added, pointing to strong competition from Nairobi and Western conferences.
KUSF Secretary General Joan Adalo emphasized the competitiveness of this year’s play-offs, noting that all qualified teams will participate. However, defending football champions Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) will miss out, with the Western Conference instead fielding new entrants such as Kibabii University and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST).
The championships are expected to attract over 1,500 student-athletes competing in both men’s and women’s categories across multiple venues. University of Nairobi will host hockey, Strathmore University basketball, while Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) Karen campus will stage netball, with other events taking place at CUEA.
Adalo welcomed fans and spectators, highlighting the high level of university sports competition in Kenya.
