Handball: Black Mamba gets financial boost for regional tourney

Kenya Handball Federation League side Black Mamba have received a financial boost ahead of next week’s (November 21-26) East and Central Africa Club Championship in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The Kaloleni-based outfit, who last won the regional title in 2012, were yesterday handed Sh 200,000 and the national flag by Makadara MP George Aladwa at their training court in Kaloleni.

The former Nairobi Mayor also promised to attend one of their matches and send an additional Sh 100,000 to the joint-top national league side.

“Black Mamba is a seasoned team and I have been supporting them for the past five years. They have won the regional title before, so I expect them to bring back the trophy this year. I will personally travel to Tanzania to attend one of their matches,” Aladwa said.

And as the team prepares to depart for Dar-es-Salaam tomorrow, team Manager Abdallah Otieno insists that their main mission is to end their long title drought.

“We have painfully lost in the finals five times including last year’s 42-41 defeat to Kenya Defence Forces. But that is history and we are all focused on bringing back the trophy. We are well prepared and the boys are ready for the task,” Otieno said.

Other teams that will feature in the regional championship are Strathmore and National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB). Meanwhile, Ulinzi Youth men’s team will play Mount Kenya University as the Kenya Handball Federation national league continues. [Rodgers Eshitemi and Rebecca Jebet]