Have you been following up on Safaricom Chapa Dimba’s progress since the program kicked off in Western Kenya? This is one to watch as a powerful enabler for youth empowerment, and especially girls who are not left out. The inaugural county finals of the tournament took place over this past weekend in Vihiga County where Ebwali Boys and Bunyore Assassins represented in the boy’s category, while Madira Girls and Maroon Queens gave it their all in the girl’s category. The tournaments were at Mumboha Stadium in Luanda.
This coming weekend, the tournament heads to Bungoma, Busia and Kakamega counties for the Western region county finals. A total of twelve teams representing the three counties are poised to compete intensely, vying for victory. The triumphant teams will then join the already qualified Madira Soccer Assassins from Vihiga County and Ebwali Boys as they advance to the regional finals. These finals, set to take place on the 26th and 27th of August at Bukhungu Stadium, promise an electrifying showcase of skill and determination.
Set to unfold tomorrow, the 11th of August, the Bungoma County finals are slated to occur at the Pan Paper Grounds in Webuye. In the Boys’ Category, the clash to watch features Sirare Youth squaring off against Compel Sportiff FC. Meanwhile, in the Girls’ category, all eyes will be on Brenda Girls from Webuye as they strive to secure a coveted spot in the regional finals, where they will face off against Kim Girls hailing from Mt. Elgon.
“First, I want to thank Safaricom for coming up with this amazing football tournament aimed at tapping new talents from the grassroots. It is through such tournaments that we have gotten the likes of Wanyama, Mariga and Olunga. My team played well right from the ward level and remains undefeated in all the games we’ve played since the tournament started. We are hopeful of winning another victory in order to represent Bungoma county in the regional and national finals,” said Dickson Simiyu, Coach of Brenda Girls.
Football enthusiasts in Busia County are in for an exciting spectacle as they witness the clash between Kingandole Queens of Butula Constituency and Chakol Girls of Teso South, competing fiercely in the Girls’ category. Meanwhile, the Boys’ category will see John Osogo of Budalangi aiming to secure a place in the Western Region finals by triumphing over their rivals, Teens of Hope FC from Nambale Constituency. This showdown is set to unfold on Saturday at the Otimong Primary Grounds.
Meanwhile, over in Kakamega, a captivating tournament awaits football enthusiasts on Sunday. The highly anticipated showdown will see the finalists, Lugusi Boys from Shinyalu, going head-to-head against The Menace FC at the Kakamega High School Grounds. On the same day, the competition in the Girls’ Category will heat up as Lugari Progressive, representing Lugari Constituency, takes on their archrivals, Kakamega Starlets. For a quick overview, refer to the following summary.
The three county finals come barely a week after Vihiga County hosted the first Safaricom Chapa Dimba County finals.
“So far, the tournament has recorded a great turn out right from the ward level. We are now ready and geared up for the county finals. We are happy that this time round we have awards for all teams that qualify for county finals, as it has really motivated more teams and players to participate,” said Ali Mustafa – FKF tournament co-ordinator, Busia County
The winners from both the boys’ and girls’ teams, and from every county will take home KES 75,000, with runners-up taking home KES 30,000. The top scorers and Most Valuable Players (Golden Ball) from both the boys’ and girls’ teams will each receive KES 10,000, with the Best Goalkeeper also taking home a similar amount. In addition, a total of 150 players – Best Boy and Girl players – from every county and the winning Girls’ and Boys’ team at the National Final will receive TVET scholarships courtesy of the Safaricom and M-PESA Foundations.
This year’s Safaricom Chapa Dimba saw a total of 441 teams from the Western Region register to participate in the tournament, which kicked off on 8th July at the ward and sub-county levels. Among the four counties, Kakamega had the highest number of teams with 162, followed by Bungoma (152), Busia (64), and Vihiga (63).
Safaricom Chapa Dimba aims to provide a structured platform for scouts and coaches to tap into new talent and build feeder systems for the Kenyan football leagues across the country while also training a total of 250 coaches. The football tournament targets young people aged between 16 and 20 years old.
Registration is currently ongoing across different regions in the country. The group stages will be played at the grassroots level, with successful teams qualifying for the finals across the eight regions. For more information on how to register and/or get match fixtures, visit the Safaricom site.