Battle for regional glory and tickets to national games gains momentum

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The battle for tickets to the 2026 Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) National Term Two games set for July 28 to August 1 at the Mpesa Foundation Academy, Thika, will hit feverpitch in different parts of the country today.

In Nairobi, former national boys football champions Highway Senior School and Upper Hill will battle for a place in tomorrow’s final in their respective-semis duels. Highway, who are the regional defending champions, will tackle their Starehe Sub-County peers Starehe Boys Centre, in a repeat of the Nairobi North Sub-Region final.

The other boys' semis match will be a Nairobi West Sub-Region affair when 2017 national winners Upper Hill battle it out with Olympic. Olympic, who have played in the last two regional finals will be out to make it three in a row. They finished second in Group A with six points after beating Waylight 4-2 in their last pool match.

Upper Hill topped Group B with seven points from two wins and a 1-1 draw against Our Lady of Fatima (OLOF) Kariobangi. Highway and Starehe ended their preliminary campaigns with 2-0 and 4-0 victories against Brownhill and Eastleigh in Group A and B, respectively.

In the girls' title hand, last year’s silver medalists Soweto Academy, who topped Group A, will take on Group B second-place finishers OLOF, while unbeaten Raila Educational Centre (REC) will play Huruma Girls. REC topped Group B while Huruma finished second in Group A.

In volleyball, there will be no love lost when familiar foes square out in tomorrow’s final. In a repeat of the last three regional finals, defending champions Ruthimitu and Soweto Academy will lock horns with Hospital Hill and Brownhill in the boys’ and girls’ finals, respectively. In yesterday’s semis, both sides proved their might as they dismissed their opponents in straight sets to set the epic clash. Hospital Hill beat Starehe Boys Centre 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-13), while Ruthimitu chalked up a 25-13, 25-21, and 25-11 win against Ruaraka.

Nairobi’s volleyball queens Soweto, who have ruled the region for eight years in a row, clash with Brownhill, who will be out to avenge previous losses that have denied them a place on the big stage. Soweto, who have not lost a regional match since 2016, made light work of State House Girls, beating them in straight sets of 21-10, 25-10 and 25-7. Brownhill on the other hand saw off Mwanga 25-16, 25-19 and 25-21.

Soweto captain Ida Amela said that they are not about to stop because their aim is to play in Morogoro.

“Our objective is to represent the country at the East Africa games and to achieve that, we must overcome the regional and national hurdles. We are focused on winning the final, though we know that our opponents are also determined to win,” Amela said.

In Bungoma, former national and East African volleyball champions Lugulu Girls Senior School will square it out with St Martha’s Mwitoti in today’s final. Both sides will be looking to reclaim the Western Region crown and secure their return to the national stage. Lugulu beat Miruri in straight sets of 25-18, 25-18, and 25-13 to book a date with Mwitoti, who dismissed Butere Girls 25-18, 25-17 and 25-10.

Former national netball champions Kaya Tiwi are one match away from retaining their Coast Region title. Kaya Tiwi, who have ruled the region since making their big break in 2016, will today play Moi Forces Girls Academy Mombasa in the final at Kwale Girls Senior School.

The Coastal giants thrashed Kizurini 76-13 in the semis to book a meeting with Moi Forces, who beat Menzamwenye 40-29 in the other last four encounter.