RMS retain football crown as Dr. Sara Ruto Cup raises funds for needy students

The tournament, which combines sport with an education initiative, is targeting more than KSh8 million in this year’s fundraising drive.

Mizizi Elimu Africa’s Hezron Mogaka said the initiative was gaining momentum as more people recognised the importance of investing in education.

“People have started to appreciate the need to contribute towards enhancing the quality of education in Kenya by supporting the needy kids from needy backgrounds who require support,” said Mogaka.

“So it is our intention that this year we’ll be able to meet our target of raising over KSh8 million that will go a long way in supporting the very vulnerable children.”

On the pitch, Royal Media Services (RMS) gave their supporters another reason to celebrate after successfully defending their football title.

RMS completed an unbeaten campaign with a 2-0 victory over Zipal in the men’s final at St. Mary’s School.

Captain Emmanuel Ochieng broke the deadlock in the first half, calmly converting from the penalty spot to put the defending champions ahead.

After the break, Newton Andika doubled RMS’ lead following an acrobatic assist from Basil Ogembo, securing a second consecutive football title for RMS Royal FC.

There was a different outcome in volleyball, where RMS surrendered their crown after finishing third. Mizizi claimed the title, with GCN finishing runners-up.

For Dr. Ruto, the tournament is about creating an experience that extends beyond the scorelines and trophies.

The former Chief Administrative Secretary for Education and Tenda Wema patron said she wanted the event to become a family day where people of different generations could come together, stay active and enjoy themselves.

“We want this to be a family day. We want people to enjoy the sport. As we have seen today, I think there was even a little baby’s team of maybe three or four years old, and then there is a granny’s team of between 60 to 75 years old,” said Dr. Ruto.

“So I think what we are saying is that sports is good, and you can be sporty and active throughout, and you can have fun. But as we have fun, we raise funds for the needy students.”

With participants spanning generations, the tournament reflected that vision, blending competitive sport with a family-friendly atmosphere while using the popularity of the games to support an education cause beyond the playing field.