School Games: Kisumu Day to face Kisumu Boys in semis rematch on Friday

Kisumu Day football players during a past match on May 31, 2025. [Washington Onyango, Standard]

Kisumu Day will renew their rivalry with Kisumu Boys on Friday as the delayed Kisumu County Secondary School football boys’ matches finally get underway after a two-week holdup.

The match, which will be staged at Moi Stadium from 8am, will run concurrently with Agai High School playing Kasagam in the second semifinal at Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Mamboleo.

“After a long wait, we are here finally. The match was to be played on Thursday but was moved due to a pending court case involving Kisumu Boys and Onjiko.

“Nevertheless, we are mentally ready for the semis and the boys will take advantage of the second chance. Second chances don’t come easily,” said Kisumu Day coach Booker Odhiambo.

Kisumu Boys who were knocked out of the games in the preliminary stages appealed their 1-0 defeat to Onjiko that saw them miss out on the semifinals, forcing the competition, which had reached the finals to be postponed.

Last week, the 2025 Kisumu County games took a dramatic turn after Onjiko Boys High School was handed a three-year ban from the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) competitions for fielding ineligible players during this year’s games.

The verdict, issued by the County Director of Education’s office, confirmed that Onjiko breached the KSSSA constitution.

Onjiko, who had edged out defending champions Kisumu Day 4-3 on post-match penalties in the semifinals after a 1-1 draw in regular time, have now been disqualified from the tournament.

This ruling reinstates Kisumu Day into the competition, with a new semifinal fixture now set between Kisumu Day and Kisumu Boys.

The disciplinary report released on June 25 revealed that Onjiko fielded six ineligible players in their clash against Kisumu Boys during the preliminary matches.

The KSSSA jury found this to be a serious breach of both the association’s rules and the general code of conduct, leading to a decisive three-year suspension from all KSSSA football activities starting from June 25, 2025.

Following this decision, all matches involving Onjiko, including the final against Agai, have been declared null and void.

The final had not been completed and was abandoned due to poor lighting conditions. Before the suspension, Agai had qualified for the final after beating Kasagam 2-0 in the other semifinal.

With Onjiko disqualified, Agai will also play Kasagam in the rematch.