KPA, Zetech Sparks gear up for WBLA battle

KPA's Aminata Semassekou in action against Equity Hawks during their Kenya Basketball Federation match at Nyayo Gymnasium on March 01. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

League champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) will lead Kenya’s onslaught at the 2025 Women Basketball League Africa (WBLA) Zone Five qualifiers that begin today at Nyayo Gymnasium.

The dockers will lead league finalists Zetech University Sparks in the hunt for a slot at the WBLA final to be held in Cairo, Egypt, later in the year.

With only finalists guaranteed tickets to the final, the Kenyans will capitalise on home advantage to ensure that they return to the African stage. Last year Kenya was not represented after KPA and Equity Bank Hawks fell short, finishing fourth and fifth in the regional qualifier.

KPA head coach Anthony Ojukwu was optimistic, saying that his charges were ready for the challenge.

“The preparations have been good, we are in high spirits and ready for the challenge. We want to start well and keep the momentum throughout the championship,” Ojukwu said.

The two Kenyan sides will face off with six other teams from Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda.

To enhance their chances of qualifying, the 2023 African silver medallists KPA strengthened their squad with four players who will be crucial in their campaign.

They signed Nigerian star guard Ifunanya Okoro and Aminata Ly from Senegal, as well as Kenyans Mercy Wanyama and Betty Kananu.

Okoro, an Afrobasket winner, will be tasked to lead the dockers' offence, call the shots on the court and create meaningful scoring chances to anchor KPA to victory. Ly, a centre, on the other hand, will be key in both offence and defence, ensuring that her rebounds are on point as she scores, blocks the opponents’ shots and protects the rim.

Ojukwu will also be without two players who were key in KPA’s league campaign.

Grace Irebu and Chantal Kiyobe have since shifted their allegiance to REG. Kiyobe, a former Buruburu Girls High School captain who led the school to the 2019 national title, was instrumental in KPA’s conquest against Zetech in the league final.

Rookies Zetech Sparks will be out to prove their mettle as they make their first appearance, having withdrawn from the 2023 qualifiers.

However, unlike their opponents who have been on the market to sign top talents, Sparks will feature regular players. This is according to coach Maurice Obilo.

“We are an institution and therefore will not be recruiting additional players to beef up our squad like our opponents. We will give our students an opportunity to showcase their talents on the bigger stage, and I believe that they will make a good account of themselves,” Obilo said.

Rwandese sides REG and APR pose the biggest threat to the Kenyans' ambitions. Burundi representatives Gladiators and Hippos will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of their male counterparts Les Hippos, who denied Kenyans the men’s Zone Five title at Nyayo last month after defeating Ulinzi Warriors in the final. Uganda and Tanzania will be represented by one team each.