Safaricom Chapa Dimba is steadily taking shape and this weekend, a dozen teams hailing from the Nyanza Region’s six counties – Kisumu, Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya, Kisii, and Nyamira – will gather to compete in regional playoffs. Their goal is to secure a spot in the upcoming regional finals, set to take place on September 30th and October 1st in Kisumu.
The matches are categorized into groups, with Group A comprising the winners from Nyamira, Kisii, and Migori counties and Group B comprising the winners from Kisumu, Siaya, and Homa Bay Counties.
On Saturday, Nyaguku FC from Nyamira, Small Simba from Kisii, and Awendo Academy from Migori will take the stage when they meet at Rongo Show Grounds in the Boys’ category. In the Girls’ category, Rigoma (Lowland) Starlets, Kisii Queens, and Agenga Ladies will battle it out for the ticket to the finals after emerging as the county champions in their respective counties.
“After winning the county title, we immediately embarked on daily training to work on a few mistakes we experienced during the county finals. I understand that the playoffs come with a lot of pressure, but we will try to manage that by playing our usual game. My boys are really motivated, especially after receiving KES 75,000 and the individual cash prizes during the county finals. I am sure they are looking forward to the regional finals to win even more,” said Thomas Mongare, Head Coach of Nyaguku FC.
On Sunday, the action will be at Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay, when the home players Karabondi FC alias the Dark Horse welcome Obunga FC from Kisumu and St. Peter’s Wagai Mixed from Siaya County in the Boys’ Category. In the Girls’ category, the host Ogande Girls will be going for nothing less than victory when they meet Plateau Ladies from Kisumu and VSA Girls from Siaya County.
The games will be played in a round-robin format, with each team playing two matches. The top two teams in each pool will proceed to the regional finals set for September 30th and October 1st at Moi Stadium in Kisumu. All matches are scheduled to kick off at 9 a.m.
On Wednesday, Safaricom officially kicked off the Nyanza Region finals with a series of community engagement activities. These activities include a free Medical Camp, free Digital and Financial Literacy training, and Safaricom Engineering Community Campus Tours aimed at transforming the livelihoods of individuals in the community.
This year’s Safaricom Chapa Dimba witnessed the participation of a total of 530 teams from the Nyanza Region in grassroots games, with 412 boys’ teams and 118 girls’ teams, all competing at the ward level.
Registration for the tournament is currently ongoing in other regions of the country. For more information on how to register and/or get match fixtures, visit the Chapa Dimba Site.