Kisumu City to host ninth edition of KICOSCA games

Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire hands over the KICOSCA games chain to Governor Anyang Nyongo ahead of January kick off in Kisumu.[Washington Onyango,Standard]

Kisumu County will host the ninth edition of the Kenya Inter- County Sports and Cultural Association (KICOSCA) games set to kick off early next year in January.

Embu Governor and outgoing KICOSCA patron Cecily Mbarire on Thursday handed over the Chain, a symbol of authority and power to undertake the roles of a Patron to Governor Anyang Nyongo at Mama Grace Onyango Social Hall.

Speaking during the ceremony, Kisumu Governor confirmed that Kisumu is more than ready to host the sporting event with a committee already constituted to steer preparations and deliver a successful event.

"Today's ceremony officially signals the start of preparations for the KICOSCA games, which we are proud to host in this beautiful city."

"We are ready for the games and a committee working on the preparations has been constituted with strict deadlines to ensure this will be the best games ever in the history of KICOSCA," said Nyongo.

The games previously known as Kenya Inter-Municipal Sports and Cultural Association (KIMSCA) under the defunct local authorities aim at providing an avenue for county staff to interact and compete in the spirit of 'Friendly Rivalry'.

Besides playing in the fields, the games have had a great impact on the staff of the 47 counties as it builds cohesion, teamwork, talent development and benchmarking on best devolution practices and cultural diversities.

The games which will feature more than 10 disciplines including football, volleyball, tug of war, netball, athletics, basketball, chess, darts, draught, handball, ajua, scrabble and cultural dances will officially kick off come January 14.

Last year's overall winners were Nairobi, followed by Kisumu and Uasin Gishu coming Third.

Kisumu Deputy Governor Mathews Owili will also be hoping to defend his golf title he won in Embu.

West Pokot Governor Simon Kachapin who is the Council of Governor's Chairman for Gender, Youth, Culture, Sports and Social Services urged other governors to put into place infrastructure that will attract the hosting of inter County games saying the games provide opportunities for counties to showcase their abilities and improve their economy.