North Rift dominates KATTI national athletics and indoor games championships

The highly competitive event concluded at the Nyayo National Stadium, showcasing incredible athletic talent alongside a groundbreaking new initiative targeting student welfare.

The five-day championship, which kicked off on June 10, drew over 1,500 student-athletes representing more than 40 technical institutions from across the country.

The North Rift region asserted its dominance early in the competition, ultimately securing the overall championship title. Their victory was fueled by a stellar performance in the men's track and field events, where they claimed the top prize.

The region’s athletic powerhouse also secured a strong second-place finish in the women's category. The South Rift region put up a fierce fight to finish second in the overall standings.

Beyond the medals and trophies, this year’s games marked a significant milestone for student welfare in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres.

Recognising the rising pressures faced by young scholars, KATTI officially signed a strategic partnership with Thalia Psychotherapy to integrate mental health awareness into technical training institutions nationwide.

Speaking at the event, Mercy Mwende, the Chief Operating Officer of Thalia Psychotherapy, emphasised the importance of designing specialised mental health support systems specifically tailored for students in technical fields.

"We want to partner with them and ensure that we tailor programs that are going to help them deal with those situations, how to deal with anxiety, how to deal with stress, and how to deal with, at very extreme cases, depression," Mwende stated.

Mwende highlighted that the ultimate goal of the partnership is to ensure students "can be able to have better, healthy relationships, and ultimately, be able to achieve the goals that they are practising at the TVET institutions."

The decision to launch this initiative during the national games was highly intentional. According to experts, sports serve as an excellent therapeutic outlet for youth navigating academic and personal challenges.

"We are focusing on the sports aspect because sports is one of the things where it can be used as a reliever for the stress," Mwende explained. "When you come here on the track, and they are running, they're able to release some of the tension that they have."

Furthermore, moving the conversation from the rigid structure of a lecture hall to an open stadium gives students a rare sense of freedom, breaking down traditional barriers to seeking psychological help.

"When we meet them at this particular space, it's also a relaxed environment, so they're not in the classroom setup," Mwende added. "Hence, they could be free to be able to talk about what they think can be used to improve towards making their mental wellness a good thing."

With the curtains closing on another successful sports edition, the integration of mental health advocacy into the KATTI games sets a new benchmark for how Kenyan educational institutions can support the holistic development of young athletes and scholars alike.