Ebenyo among stars to battle for glory in Mumias

Daniel Simiu Ebenyo in a past training session at Kasarani stadium. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

World Cross Country Championships bronze medallist Daniel Simiu Ebenyo is among more than 500 athletes set to compete during the penultimate leg of the second season of Betika BingwaFest, Western Region, this weekend.  

Fresh from the global showpiece where he finished third in the Men’s Senior race, Ebenyo will line up in the lucrative 10,000m and 5,000m races as he aims to double up to take home Sh550,000 on Saturday as athletics action takes centre stage at Mumias Sports Complex.  

Teams across football, rugby, 3x3 basketball, and athletes across different race disciplines will be out to have a share of the over Sh17 million prize money up for grabs.  

Football action kicked off on Monday across different venues, while rugby and basketball are expected to start tomorrow at the Bull Ring and Mumias Sports Complex, respectively. All team sports will then converge at the Mumias Sports Complex on Sunday for the finals showdown.  

The second season of the multi-disciplinary sports extravaganza kicked off in August as Nakuru hosted the Rift Valley Region event at the Afraha Stadium before moving to Siaya County for the Nyanza Region leg, then to Machakos County for the Eastern Region chapter followed by a stop in Nairobi, then Meru for the Central Region edition and will wrap up the regional qualifiers at the Coast next month.   

Winners in football and rugby, both men and women, will pocket  Sh1 million each, while the winning teams in the 3×3 basketball will go home Sh500,000 richer. The first runners-up for football and rugby will be awarded Sh500,000, while the second runners-up are set to receive Sh250,000. In basketball, the teams that finish second and third will take home Sh250,000 and Sh100,000, respectively.  

Gold medallists in the lucrative 10,000m will take home Sh300,000, as the first and second runners-up will pocket Sh250,000 and Sh200,000, respectively.