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A total of 15 counties will converge in Eldoret this week for the national amputee football trials starting on Thursday at the Eldoret Polytechnic.
The trials, which run from July 27-30, will be used as a yardstick to pick the team that will represent the country at the Para Africa Games set for Accra, Ghana in September.
Uasin Gishu County men’s amputee football team have promised to capitalise on the home-ground advantage to call the shots.
Team tactician, Brian Owuor, said they have been undergoing intensive training and hope to clinch the title. “We have been training well and we are ready for trials. The winning attitude has kept us going and the boys are responding well in training,” said Owuor.
So far, hosts Uasin Gishu, Bungoma, Kakamega, Trans Nzoia, Kisumu, Nakuru, Siaya, Bomet, Nairobi, Narok, Mombasa, Kiambu and Machakos have confirmed participation.
The event coordinator, Charles Koech, said the same venue has been identified as one of the training grounds if Kenya’s joint bid with other East African nations to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations succeeds.
“We are proud of our top-notch pavilion and well-maintained pitch which has successfully hosted football and rugby matches over the years,” Koech said.
He said they are also in the process of upgrading their track to host athletics training ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games.
Kenya successfully competed at the Council for East and Central Africa Football Association (Cecafa) qualifiers last year in Tanzania.
Uasin Gishu branch chairman, Geoffrey Okoth, sounded a warning to their rivals, saying they are ready for them. “We want to use this home advantage to ensure we win the title and get a lion’s share of at least six slots into the national team,” said Okoth.
He added: “These will be the most competitive trials where at least 25 players will be selected to fly the Kenyan flag in Ghana. We have already qualified for the Africa show and all they are doing is selecting a team,” he noted.
He explained that Kenya finished sixth at the Cecafa Amputee World Cup qualifiers in Tanzania after losing to Morocco in the final qualifying match.
So far, hosts Uasin Gishu, Bungoma, Kakamega, Trans Nzoia, Kisumu, Nakuru, Siaya, Bomet, Nairobi, Narok, Mombasa, Kiambu and Machakos have confirmed participation. BY THE STAR