14th EAC Inter-Parliamentary Games: Kenya Determined To Reclaim Football Title In Mombasa
Kenya’s Bunge FC. PHOTO/ PARLIAMENT OF KENYA
NAIROBI, Kenya- Kenya is determined to reclaim the football title at the 14th edition of the annual East African Community (EAC) Inter-Parliamentary Games scheduled for December 6-18, 2024, in Mombasa.
Bunge FC captain Otiende Amollo says they are psychologically prepared for the regional showpiece whose launch was held at the Kenyan Parliament in Nairobi on Monday.
“We are committed to ensure the football trophy remain in the country this year, we are also well prepared to tackle the sweltering Mombasa humidity and the low altitude weather,” Otiende told Standard Sports.
The Bunge football team has been stepping up training at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Langata, Nairobi, thrice a week ahead of the competition.
“This is essentially our last week of training and I can confidently say the squad is fit for the job ahead, no major injury at all.
“We are confident to ward-off opposition from Uganda who narrowly denied us the trophy with a 1-0 win in Kigali last year. Uganda has been a thorn in the flesh for Kenya for so many years but this time round we are ready for them,” Amollo said.
Kenya will open the football contest on December 6 against the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and Amollo says plans have been made to ensure that only Fifa accredited referees and linesmen to handle the job so as to reduce any disputes that may arise.
The sporting event whose theme is ‘Enhancing Integration through Inter-Parliamentary Games’ will be opened officially by His Excellency President William Ruto on December 7 at the Mbaraki Sports Club.
” These Games will help Members of Parliament (MP) to embrace sports which is a good tool for physical and emotional well being.The competitions will also offer Kenya the opportunity to share and showcase the rich heritage of Mombasa as the host city,” Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said during the Monday launch.
His sentiments were echoed by Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula who stated: ” Let’s widen, deepen and tighten the Integration of East African states through these games, let MPs be reminded that the underlying factor in these sports is friendship, so they should strive to network with their like-minded counterparts from other nations.”
Bunge FC captain Otiende Amollo in a past action. PHOTO/ PARLIAMENT OF KENYA
This year’s annual regional showdown will bring together MPs from eight EAC member states including Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and newcomer Somalia, alongside host nation Kenya.
The Games will encompass eight sporting disciplines including football, netball, volleyball, basketball, athletics, tug of war, darts, and golf.
Kenya Ports Authority’s Makupa Members Club will be the nerve center for the competition. It will also serve as a training ground for basketballers.
Football and athletics events will be held at the Kenya Ports Authority’s Mbaraki Stadium.
Basketball, volleyball and netball will be staged at the Aga Khan Academy which will also act as training grounds for football and tug of war teams.
Nyali Golf Club will host golf while darts will be staged at the Aga Khan Academy and the Tononoka Social Hall.
Other grounds that will be used as training facilities for football are Uwanja wa Mbuzi/ Hassan Joho stadium, Sheikh Zayed Academy and ASK showground in Kongowea.
For cost cutting measures, the Government has directed all Kenyan MPs taking part in the games to travel to Mombasa via the Standard Gauge Railway.
This move is meant for austerity measures in order to reduce the bulging public expenditure.
Categories to be contested
-Football
-Netball
-Volleyball
-Basketball
-Athletics
-Tug of war
-Darts
-Golf
