Champions Kenya Ports Authority ready to defend title

Omar Bora (center) of Kenya Ports Authority dribles past Kenya Ferry services players to scores KPA's first goal at Afraha stadium in Nakuru on August 14,2016 during the during the annual KECOSO games .PHOTO:KIPSANG JOSEPH

Defending champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) have fired warning shots to rivals that they are ready to retain the overall title of the communication games.

The Kenya Communications Sports Organisation (Kecoso) games will be held in Kisumu on September 16-23.

Lenox Safari, the dockers’ Sports Officer, said 160 athletes left Mombasa yesterday for Kisumu.

“We have prepared well for the communication games and our main focus is to win more disciplines than we did last year. We shall be defending six trophies besides the overall title,” said Safari.

Three members of Kecoso games – Kenya Postal Cooperation of Kenya, Communication Authority of Kenya and Kenya Ferry Services –will miss the showpiece due to financial constraints.

The games will feature among other disciplines football, netball, volleyball, racquet games, basketball and athletics.

Safari confirmed their women basketball team will use the Kisumu event to sharpen their skills ahead of 2017 Fiba Africa Zone Five Club championships set for Kampala, Uganda from September 28-October 6.

KPA women will defend the Zone Five Club Championships title they won last year in Dar es Salaam.

The Uganda regional club competition attracts league champions from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi and Egypt.

“We intend to use Kecoso games to gauge our women basketball team preparedness for the continental event,” said Safari.

 Anthony Ojukwu, the women basketball coach and his assistant Philip Onyango, are confident of retaining the title.

“We are unbeaten in the Premier League and we shall apply our current top form to win all our matches,” said Ojukwu.

Apart from basketball, KPA will also be defending football. The authority boast of experienced footballers who play for Sportpesa Premier League side Bandari.