Ochieng pushes for sponsors and elite league to boost Kenyan basketball

Strathmore Blades head coach Tony Ochieng is calling on corporate Kenya to step in and support the National Basketball League, saying sponsorship is key to raising standards, attracting talent, and professionalizing the sport.

Ochieng explained that increased investment would allow clubs to recruit top players, improve competition, and pay athletes properly—pointing to Nairobi City Thunder as a club already benefiting from such backing with its roster of professional and high-caliber athletes.

“If we get corporate sponsors, it will really help the league grow. We will be able to recruit high-quality players and the competition will be very competitive. It will also enable teams to pay their players well,” said Ochieng.

Beyond funding, Ochieng backed the federation’s plans to launch a new elite league featuring just eight top teams.

He believes the move will raise competitiveness, lure foreign talent, and compel clubs to operate more professionally.

“I know the federation has very good plans. They want to start a top league, which will consist of only eight top teams. It is a good idea that we should all embrace, and with that, the league will be very, very highly competitive in such a way that we will recruit foreign players to boost the team,” he said.

He argued that reducing the top division to a smaller group of elite sides would compel clubs to operate more professionally and ultimately improve the overall quality of Kenyan basketball.

The Strathmore Blades, who finished ninth in last season’s 12-team league, are hoping these changes will help revive the fortunes of local basketball.