All to play for as Makueni MKJ Supa Cup hit fever pitch

This follows a month-long sub-county level where Kibwezi East, Kibwezi West, Makueni, Kilome, Mbooni and Kaiti sub counties picked their all-star teams that will fight for the County top honours in six disciplines in the two-day extravaganza.

The championship, which is tailor-made for youngsters aged between 18-23 years, will see 72 teams square it out in football, volleyball, basketball 5×5, basketball 3×3, beach volleyball and beach handball, with Ksh. 2 million cash prizes set to be won.

To weed out any age cheats, the organisers conducted a thorough vetting on Friday even as the Makueni Sports Executive Committee Member Eng. Sebastian Kyoni warned of severe punishments for those planning to field mercenaries.

“So far all the teams have maintained high levels of discipline save for a few elements who don't want to play by the rules. We are all winners and we shouldn’t use shortcuts. That will kill our target of nurturing talents. Also, if we play monkey business we will be embarrassed during the KYISA Games because the same rules will apply,” he told Citizen Digital.

The competition is strictly for players aged between 18-23 years old, and who have not participated in elite competition, or played for elite clubs.

Sports Director Ambrose Kisoi added that the county government is working closely with different federations and national security apparatus to curb any cases of indiscipline of whatever form.

Kisoi, a seasoned basketball referee, revealed that scouts in all the disciplines will descend Makueni to tap future stars that will be on show.

“We are keen to hand over our talents to the best scouts who will be in Wote for a scouting mission. I urge every participating player to give his or her all because you never know who will be watching,” said the former Kenya Basketball Federation Secretary General.

The Supa Cup, an annual tournament, is a culmination of the county’s Ligi Mashinani sports league where teams from the 30 wards compete for a spot at the Supa Cup, which begins at the sub-county level and then the County level.

After the finals, a formidable county team in each discipline will be assembled to represent Makueni at this year’s Kenya Youth Inter-County Sports Association (KYISA) Games slated for next month in Homabay.