St. Joseph’s Kitale knocked out after appeal loss, St. Antony’s march to Rift Valley Games
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Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 07.07.26. | 10:19
The Rift Valley Regional Jury Committee dismissed St. Joseph's appeal, which challenged St. Antony's fielding of an ineligible player during the Trans Nzoia County final
Reigning Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) national and Rift Valley football champions, St. Joseph's Boys Kitale,have been knocked out of this year's Term Two Games after losing an appeal against 2023 national champions St. Antony's Boys Kitale.
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Consequently, it brings their bid to defend both titles to an abrupt end at the county stage.
The Rift Valley Regional Education office dismissed St. Joseph's appeal, which challenged St Antony's fielding of a player during the Trans Nzoia County final
St Joseph had appealed against a decision by the Trans Nzoia County Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) Jury Committee, which had rejected its protest challenging the eligibility of a player fielded by St. Anthony during the county football championships.
The national champions argued that the player was ineligible and sought to have St. Anthony stripped of the county title.
However, after reviewing the complaint and supporting evidence, the jury dismissed the protest and upheld St. Anthony's victory.
St. Joseph subsequently escalated the matter to the Rift Valley Regional Education Office in a final attempt to overturn the county verdict before the regional championships.
According to sources familiar with the proceedings, the regional office upheld the county jury's decision, effectively bringing the dispute to a close.
The decision means St. Anthony Boys High School will officially represent Trans Nzoia County at the Rift Valley Secondary Schools Games scheduled to take place in Narok.
The ruling is a significant boost for the Kitale-based football giants, one of Kenya's most successful school football teams.
Over the years, St. Anthony has won several national and East African titles, while producing players who have gone on to feature for top clubs and national teams.
The county final had ended 1-0 in favour of St. Antony's, with Trevor Nassiro scoring the decisive goal to hand the former national champions the title.
With Jobo's title defence ending before the regional championships, the Rift Valley Games and national level are now guaranteed to produce a new football champion.
The Trans Nzoia verdict is the latest in a string of disciplinary decisions that have reshaped this year's KSSSA football competitions before the start of the regional championships.
In Kakamega County, former outgoing county champions Butere Boys High School were disqualified after the County Jury upheld a protest over the fielding of ineligible players.
The decision elevated Musingu High School to county champions, while Kakamega High School moved up to the runners-up position, with both schools securing qualification for the Western Region Games.
Kisumu County was equally affected after Agai Mixed Secondary School challenged a jury's verdict that found the school guilty of misconduct during the county championships and imposed sanctions.
However, the school's appeal was dismissed, upholding the disciplinary action and ending Agai's hopes of returning to the competition.
The succession of protests, jury hearings and appeals have, once again, placed the spotlight on player eligibility, registration procedures and compliance with KSSSA regulations.
This has forced several counties to delay confirmation of their representatives until all disciplinary matters had been concluded.
With most disputes now settled, focus shifts to the regional championships, which have started across the country this week.
The Nyanza Region Games will get underway on Tuesday, while the Western Region championships are scheduled for 8-11 July.
Rift Valley, Nairobi, Central, Eastern, Coast and North Eastern will also stage their respective competitions over the course of the week as schools battle for qualification to the 2026 KSSSA National Term Two Games.
The national championships will subsequently determine Kenya's representatives at the FEASSSA Games, where East Africa's best school teams will compete for regional honours.