Kitondo High School coach Dennis Chikamai pleased with charges’ performance

Eastern-based Kitondo High School's head coach Dennis Chikamai has expressed pleasure after the school finished fourth at the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) rugby 7s games played at the Bull Ring in Kakamega.

The side was making a maiden KSSSA rugby 7s appearance. Their last attempt to qualify in the 15s version ended at the regional stage. They were seeking to bounce back.

The tactical students kicked off their pool campaign on a high, edging their Eastern opponents Kangaru 26-7 before defeating Garashi high 24-14. They went on to hit Menengai High 28-5 to cruise to the quarterfinals.

At the quarter-final stage, Kitondo staged a comeback to defeat Bungoma High 26-12. They however lost to Koyonzo 33-0 in the semifinal before falling to St Mary’s Yala 40-5 in the third-place playoff.

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Despite missing out on the top three slots, Chikamai was pleased with the boys’ zeal and hard work. The students successfully booked a slot in the FEASSA games that will kick off in Huye, Rwanda from August 17-27.

“Our main aim was to qualify for the nationals. The boys have exceeded expectations upto this stage. That was a great improvement for the side,” he offered.

“In our region and county, there is no competition. The teams are down and there are no coaching systems in place. The students are usually not prepared for competition. For us (Kitondo), we aim at such competitions (KSSSA) because they give us a bigger platform to express our skills. We train the boys and take them to build-up tournaments, see their weaknesses, and rectify them,” Chikamai said.

The coach noted that the school and the surrounding community has been supportive in the journey. As part of giving back to the generous community, the school offers sponsorship opportunities to talented players who come from humble backgrounds. The school is located in Mbooni East, Makueni County.

“We go for road runs around the community and they are very friendly. The school too is supportive and gives us an opportunity to train. We have enough training grounds thanks to the school support. We also give them a chance to play while studying. They play knowing that it is their source of school fees, and give their all,” he explained.

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He further commended his charges’ efforts to multitask both in studies and training.

“We look at their past performance before giving them a scholarship. All of them scored 330 marks and above. We encourage them to take both studies and training seriously, and continue to monitor their performance on the pitch and in class,” he concluded.

Kitondo High have been placed in Pool A of the Federation of East African Secondary Schools Sports Associations (FEASSA) games alongside Koyonzo, Kiira College, and London College of Uganda.

In Pool B, Vihiga high school will face off with Jinja Secondary School, St Mary’s Yala, Makerere College, and GS Gitisi of Rwanda.