T. NashipaeInaugural western region Toto Tackle tournament sparks greatness
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Reading Time: 4min | Tue. 12.09.23. | 20:51
The event, which was the first ever in the Western region, brought together a total of 127 under 15 kids, both boys and girls, with six teams competing
Kenya Lionesses, the national women’s rugby team is sharpening claws ahead of their two build up matches in South Africa on Saturday 16 and 23 September. The matches will serve as part of their preparations for the inaugural World Rugby WXV3 competition set for 13-28 October 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The team will play against South Africa on Saturday 16 September before taking on the San Clemente Rhinos a week later.
At the same time, the Kenya 7s national team, Shujaa is gearing up for an epic battle when they face bigwigs in the Rugby Africa men’s 7s 2023 tournament, which will take place from September 16 to 17 at the Harare Sports Club in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The competition will see twelve teams battling it out in a bid to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics in Paris.
While lots of action-packed weekends lie ahead, age grade rugby development still lags behind despite being the breeding grounds for many rugby talents in the country for both men and women.
It is with this in mind that the Toto Africa, a Mombasa-based NGO organized an Under 15 age grade tournament dubbed Toto Tackle Tournament with a twofold mission; to equip children with the vital skills to tackle not only the challenges of the rugby field, but also those they would encounter in life beyond it. The event happened at the St Peters Mumias High School on September 1.
The event, which was the first ever in the Western region, brought together a total of 127 kids both boys and girls, with six teams competing.
Bungoma went on to clinch the inaugural U15 boys edition beating Misikhu 10-5 in a tightly contested tie. In the girls category,Toto Afrika won 5-0 against Misikhu to win the U15 title. All participating girls went home with sanitary towels while the boys were given books.
According to Toto Afrika founding director Tina Akello Otieno, the event was a resounding success, being the inaugural one in the Western region. Toto Afrika has been organizing tournaments in the Mombasa region, and were eyeing at expanding their limits.
“It was a success, and I believe Western Kenya accepted the annual tournament. I believe the next tournament will be bigger and better. This was the first one in Western Kenya,” she offered
At the heart of this tournament, according to Akello, was the identification and nurturing of talents. She noted that they left no stone unturned in scouting and nurturing young talents in the region. What capped the exciting tournament was that two key players landed a full scholarship at St Peters’ Mumias.
Western region produced the best Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) rugby 7s women's side; Mwika Girls who defeated Gilgil Pioneer 10-5 in the finals.
The region is also home to Koyonzo Stormers, the high school team that shocked bigwigs by claiming the Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSSA) rugby 7s title in Huye, Rwanda last month. Needless to mention, Kakamega hosts Kabras RFC, one of the most formidable rugby sides in Kenya.
“We wanted to weigh the Western strength in rugby. We evaluated their performance, and invited talent scouts to identify high-performing kids. The real epitome is to expose these kids to rugby as they enjoy education,” Akello told Mozzart Sport.
Ensuring the tournament’s smooth execution came with its own challenges. Akello, however, commended the Toto Afrika team that made the event a success.
“Finance was the main challenge. Also, getting a playing field for the kids, and providing transport for the teams. For the neighboring teams, we asked them to support themselves, and we paid for two teams. Toto Africa head office also came in to support,” she said.
For Akello, the age grade tournament was not only a means of nurturing young talents, but also acted as a stepping stone towards professionalizing the sport. Akello foresees a future where players’ safety will be guaranteed, not only on the field, but also financially and in the event of injuries.
“We want to make the game more professional so that even finances go back to the players and the managers. We want players to earn from their sweat. We are looking to level the playing field so that all the players can compete at a similar level. We want to recognize our own, and enhance player safety. We are looking to take care of our players and ensure the future of the sport is good,” Okello offered.
According to Toto Afrika director of communications Brian Mwenje, the team had long-term plans to power the national U20 team, Chipu, as well as the national ladies team; Kenya Lionesses. The former Nanyuki Children’s home and Likoni Community head coach also underscored the importance of financial assistance in making what seemed like a far-fetched dream come true. He appealed to interested financiers to lend a hand.
2023 Toto Tackle Individual Awards
Top try scorer award: Simon Kiliswa from Bungoma. Simon bagged a total of 7 tries
Most Disciplined team award: Winam Kisumu
Most Valuable Player (Boys): Austin Odhiambo from Winam Kisumu
Most Valuable Player (Girls): Marylynne Natrisaba from Toto Afrika
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