Can Kakamega School reclaim their throne as KSSSA National Boys' football returns?
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Reading Time: 6min | Sat. 18.07.26. | 09:52
The Western Region giants come into the nationals as the most successful team in the competition's history, but face stern opposition
The journey to the 2026 Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) National Term Two Games has delivered everything that has come to define school football in Kenya; upsets, controversy, emerging powerhouses, and the fall of defending champions.
When the first match kicks off at MPesa Foundation Academy in Thika, a new chapter will begin in a competition that has produced some of the country's finest footballers over the past five decades. The national championship will once again bring together eight regional representatives, but unlike previous editions, there is no overwhelming favorite.
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Instead, the tournament presents one of the most unpredictable title races in recent memory. The biggest storyline heading into Thika is the absence of defending champions St. Joseph's Boys Kitale. The Trans Nzoia giants, who lifted their maiden national title in 2025, saw their reign come to an abrupt end at the county championships after losing to arch-rivals St. Antony's Boys Kitale.
Ironically, St. Antony's were unable to capitalize on that victory. The seven-time national champions were eliminated in the Rift Valley regional semifinals by Menengai High School, meaning both the defending champions, and the team that dethroned them at the county level, will be absent from this year's national finals.
That outcome has left the title race wide open, and shifted attention to one of the most decorated names in Kenyan school football - Kakamega School.
No institution has shaped the history of KSSSA boys' football quite like the Green Commandos.
With 13 national championships, Kakamega School remain the most successful team in the competition's history. Their dominance began in the late 1970s when they launched one of the greatest dynasties Kenyan school football has ever witnessed.
Between 1978 and 1983, Kakamega won six consecutive national titles, an achievement that remains unmatched. They returned to lift the trophy in 1986, before adding back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990, to complete a remarkable haul of nine titles in just 13 years.
The Western Region giants later added crowns in 1995, 2008, 2014 and 2018 to cement their place at the summit of Kenyan school football.
Yet, despite their rich history, Kakamega School have not returned to the national championships since winning the title in Eldoret in 2018. Their qualification for this year's tournament therefore, marks more than just another appearance, it signals the return of one of the country's traditional football powerhouses.
Their route back to the nationals has been anything but straightforward.
Initially denied the county title after losing to Musingu in the semifinals, Kakamega School successfully challenged the eligibility of players fielded by Butere who were the county champions after beating Musingu in the finals.
Following investigations and verdit by the Kakamega County Director of Education, Butere Boys were disqualified for using ineligible players, paving the way for county runners-up Musingu High School, and third-placed Kakamega School to represent the county at the Western Region Championships.
Kakamega School seized the opportunity.
The Green Commandos produced a vintage regional campaign, before beating 2025 national runners-up Musingu High School 2-0 in the final to reclaim the Western Region title, and book their long-awaited return to the national stage.
If history favors Kakamega, recent form belongs to Highway Secondary School.
The Nairobi champions arrive in Thika as one of the most dangerous sides in the competition after winning their maiden national title in 2024. Their triumph ended years of near misses, and established Highway as one of the country's emerging football forces.
Although they surrendered the title following St. Joseph's triumph last year, Highway have once again qualified for the nationals, and will be determined to prove that their breakthrough was no one-off success.
©Alvin WesongaThe tournament will also introduce several schools seeking to make history.
Tenwek High School have emerged as Rift Valley champions after eliminating Menengai who beat St. Anthony’s Kitale, one of the region's most successful football institutions. Their performances have announced the Bomet-based school as genuine title contenders capable of competing with the country's traditional heavyweights.
Coast Region will be represented by Tononoka Secondary School, another side hoping to revive the region's football fortunes. Coastal schools once dominated Kenyan football through Mombasa High School, who lifted six national championships between 1992 and 2006. Since then, however, the region has struggled to reproduce that success.
Tononoka now carry the responsibility of restoring Coast football to the national conversation.
Nyanza champions St. Mary's School Yala also arrive with ambitions of writing their own history. The region has produced notable champions in the past through Homa Bay High School, Kisii High School and Gekomoni Secondary, but recent national titles have proved elusive.
Eastern Region champions Tumaini Secondary and Central Region representatives Ruthagati Secondary complete another group of schools hoping to secure their first national championship, while North Eastern Region will once again be represented on the national stage as the region continues its steady development in school football.
The tournament draw has only heightened anticipation.
Pool A appears particularly balanced, bringing together Rift Valley champions Tenwek High School, Coast champions Tononoka Secondary School, Nyanza champions St. Mary's School Yala and Nairobi champions Highway Secondary School.
Each team enters the championship with legitimate ambitions of progressing to the knockout rounds. Highway possess national title-winning experience, while Tenwek's victory over Rift Valley giants demonstrates they have the quality to compete with established football giants. Tononoka and Yala, meanwhile, will view the group as an opportunity to upset the traditional order.
Pool B offers a fascinating mix of pedigree and ambition.
Kakamega School headline the group alongside Central champions Ruthagati Secondary, Eastern champions Tumaini Secondary and the North Eastern representative.
On paper, Kakamega begin as favorites owing to their unrivalled history and recent regional performances. However, history alone has never guaranteed success at the KSSSA Nationals. Every edition has produced surprise results, and several first-time champions have emerged over the past two decades.
Indeed, the evolution of Kenyan school football is reflected in its list of champions.
The 1970s and 1980s belonged largely to Kakamega School, Homa Bay High School and Njoro Boys. The 1990s saw Mombasa High School establish a formidable dynasty alongside Kapenguria Boys, while the early 2000s witnessed Kamukunji High School and St. Antony's Boys dominate the competition.
More recently, the championship has become increasingly unpredictable.
Since 2009, no school has managed to establish prolonged dominance. Lang'ata High School, St. Mark Mokorogoinwa, Gekomoni Secondary, Upper Hill School, Passenga Boys, Laiser Hill Academy, Ebwali Secondary, Highway Secondary School and St. Joseph's Boys Kitale have all enjoyed their moment in the spotlight, illustrating the growing competitiveness of school football across the country.
That trend suggests the 2026 championship could once again produce a new story.
Will Kakamega School add a record-extending 14th national title and complete one of the greatest comebacks in recent KSSSA history? Can Highway Secondary reclaim the crown they first won in 2024? Will Tenwek High's remarkable rise continue all the way to a maiden national championship?
Or will another emerging force such as Tononoka Secondary, St. Mary's School Yala, Ruthagati Secondary, Tumaini Secondary or the North Eastern representatives announce themselves on Kenya's biggest school football stage?
Those questions will be answered over the coming days in Thika.
One thing, however, is already certain, with the defending champions eliminated, traditional giants returning, and several ambitious newcomers eager to make history, the 2026 KSSSA National Boys' Football Championship promises to be one of the most fiercely contested editions the competition has witnessed in years.