The making of Vihiga Queens, from Kidundu Ladies to Cecafa Champions

Senelwa has revealed that it took the initiative of three individuals to conceptualize Vihiga Queens which is now the most successful football club in Kenya and beyond. This was after years of dominating in local tournaments.

While Senelwa acknowledges most tournaments organized by local leaders, especially politicians, have different motives, he believes clubs can be strategic and use the same to lay foundations for the future.

“Vihiga Queens were initially known as Kidundu Ladies. We would participate in all local football tournaments and emerge winners hence we felt that the team had outlived the purpose of tournaments and quickly needed another challenge,” Senelwa said.

“The 2012 Sakata Ball competition in which we emerged third nationally producing the top striker - one Annet Cheredi - after which as Kidundu Ladies we lifted the Governor Moses Akaranga 2013 Cup led me to a sit-down with Festus Akaranga and Gertrude Aseyo to rethink our future. In the meeting, we decided to enroll for meaningful organized football henceforth,” Senelwa who was then the Kidundu Ladies patron explained.

The trio would agree that Kidundu Ladies be renamed to Vihiga Queens for they were no longer a ‘village team’ before joining Western Zone B Women League in 2014.

“There were no proper structures for women football in Kenya, let alone in Western. We played the regional league for more than a year before emerging winners to qualify to the Division One League, which led us into the Kenya Women Premier League in 2016,” the cofounder of Vihiga Queens recalled.

Vihiga Queens would lose to Thika Queens in playoffs after emerging Zone B winners in 2016 before what Michael Senelwa feels was a sweet revenge to Thika Queens the following year, in which the then Alex Alumira-led team emerged champions.

Alumira won three titles in a row before leaving in 2021 when Boniface Nyamunyamu took over Vihiga Queens as head coach.

“Covid-19 disrupted the league in 2020 prompting Vihiga Queens who had been 2019 champions to be tasked to represent Kenya in the CECAFA Women Championships in Nairobi in 2021 and won!”

Senelwa narrated how the CECAFA platform was a turning point to his players who had persevered in the team for almost a decade as Vihiga Queens represented the Council of East and Central Africa Football Association in the inaugural Women Confederation of African Football competitions in Egypt.

“Despite falling to Mamelodi Sundowns 1-0 our goal keeper Lilian Awuor would emerge the woman of the match after whom officials from France showed interest in her services,” he added.

More players including Jentrix Shikangwa, Terry Engesha, Cynthia Shilwatso, Enez Mango among others got international clubs leaving the Kenyan Premier League four-time giants in ambivalence.

“When the KWPL resumed last season, we struggled to retain our title because half of the squad that sent us to CAF had been signed by international clubs leaving us with a hard task to fight for our space in the league. We knew that we led the way in Kenya’s women football, but it is growing at a high pace so the competition is stiff,” he said.

According to Senelwa, they learnt a lot from the 2021 CECAFA experience, and are eyeing their fifth title this season.

“We have done very well in branding. For example, we are ahead of some of the men’s football clubs in the Kenyan Premier League in the social media platforms, in terms of reach and numbers.

“Unfortunately, we still struggle financially as many corporations shy away from investing in women football,” he observed, saying despite the challenge, they are not looking back in pursuit for glory beyond CECAFA.

They currently lead the Premier League table with 21 points, after eight rounds.