- Kenya topped the regional school games after collecting 20 gold medals across diverse sporting disciplines.
- Uganda finished a close second with 19 titles after dominating football, swimming and several indoor events.
- Morogoro witnessed Kenyan triumphs in athletics, rugby, hockey, volleyball, handball, chess and other disciplines.
Kenya has reclaimed the East African school sports crown after emerging overall champions of the 23rd Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSA) Games in Morogoro, Tanzania.
The regional championship concluded on Saturday, August 22, at Jamhuri Stadium, bringing to an end a fiercely contested tournament involving thousands of learners from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.
Kenya finished with 20 gold medals, narrowly edging Uganda, which collected 19, in a contest that remained tight across numerous disciplines. Tanzania, meanwhile, emerged overall winner in the Primary Schools and Special Needs Education categories.
The victory saw Kenya wrestle the overall secondary schools crown from Uganda and underline the country’s strength beyond its traditional athletics dominance.
Kenya’s gold rush stretches across disciplines
Kenya’s 20 titles came from athletics boys and girls, cross country boys and girls, rugby 15s boys and girls, rugby 7s boys and girls, hockey boys and girls, lacrosse boys and girls, chess boys and girls, boys’ Scrabble, girls’ beach volleyball, boys’ basketball 3×3, girls’ tennis, girls’ volleyball and boys’ handball.
Cross country produced one of Kenya’s most commanding performances.
Kenya won both secondary-school team titles, with Venenza Chebet Masai of Kongit Secondary School winning the girls’ 6km race in 18:54.7. Clare Cheruto of Bishop Louis Secondary School and Naomi Chepkwemoi of Kibuk Secondary School followed in second and third positions respectively.
Emmanuel Kiprono of Kimuron Secondary School won the boys’ 8km race in 22:25.6, while compatriot Wesley Kiplangat took bronze.
Kenya also secured the overall boys’ and girls’ athletics titles, adding another two golds to its final tally.
But perhaps the clearest indication of Kenya’s all-round strength came from the team sports, where schools produced memorable performances on the closing days.
Musingu, Kesogon deliver gold
Musingu Boys Senior School were crowned East African boys’ handball champions after defeating Uganda’s Wampeewo Ntakke 32-30 in a closely fought final.
It was Musingu’s maiden FEASSA handball crown and completed a remarkable season in which the school had already conquered the Western Region and Kenyan national championships.
In girls’ volleyball, Kesogon Mixed Secondary School completed an impressive campaign by securing the regional title, adding another crucial gold to Kenya’s tally.
Uganda, however, took the boys’ volleyball crown through Namugongo Vocational Secondary School, demonstrating the close nature of the Kenya-Uganda rivalry throughout the championship.
Kitale schools rule East African hockey
Hockey was another Kenyan stronghold.
St Anthony’s Boys Kitale captured the boys’ championship, while St Joseph’s Girls Kitale emerged girls’ champions, giving Kenya a clean sweep of the two hockey titles.
The double reinforced Kenya’s longstanding strength in school hockey and contributed two crucial gold medals to the country’s championship campaign.
Rugby delivered an even bigger haul.
Kenya took all four available secondary-school rugby titles — boys’ and girls’ rugby 15s as well as boys’ and girls’ rugby 7s — making the discipline one of the foundations of the country’s overall victory.
Kenyan schools also secured both boys’ and girls’ lacrosse titles and swept the chess championships.
The country’s strength extended to boys’ Scrabble, girls’ beach volleyball, boys’ basketball 3×3 and girls’ lawn tennis.
Uganda dominates football
While Kenya celebrated the overall championship, Uganda demonstrated why it remains one of the region’s school-sports powerhouses.
Uganda swept both football titles.
In the boys’ final, St Mary’s Kitende defeated hosts Morogoro Secondary School 2-1 at Jamhuri Stadium to take the coveted regional football crown.
Rines Secondary School secured the girls’ football title, completing Uganda’s football double.
St Mary’s Kitende enjoyed an especially successful tournament, adding the girls’ basketball 5×5 championship to its football success and also emerging on top in netball.
Uganda’s other gold medals came from boys’ and girls’ table tennis, boys’ and girls’ badminton, girls’ Scrabble, girls’ beach soccer, softball, boys’ beach volleyball, boys’ and girls’ swimming, girls’ basketball 3×3, girls’ handball, baseball, boys’ tennis and boys’ volleyball.
Uganda’s dominance in swimming was particularly emphatic, while its victories across racquet sports and indoor disciplines kept the country within touching distance of Kenya until the end.
Rwanda strikes gold in basketball
Rwanda did not leave Morogoro empty-handed.
International Technical School Kigali captured the boys’ basketball 5×5 championship, giving Rwanda one of the tournament’s major team-sport titles.
Hosts Tanzania also registered victories while producing their strongest overall performance in the Primary Schools and Special Needs Education categories.
Beyond medals, the championship brought together 5,548 participants and 413 teams, according to reporting from Morogoro, illustrating the enormous scale the regional school games have attained.
Morogoro hands baton to Kigali
The closing ceremony at Jamhuri Stadium also marked the beginning of preparations for the next chapter of FEASSA.
FEASSA President Justus Mugisha confirmed that Kigali, Rwanda, will host the 24th edition in 2027.
Rwanda last hosted the championship in Huye in 2023, before the competition moved to Bukedea, Uganda, in 2024, Kakamega, Kenya, in 2025 and Morogoro this year.
The 2026 championship also received a $90,000 sponsorship from the East African Development Bank, which included procurement of team kits.
For Kenya, however, Morogoro will be remembered principally as the championship where the country returned to the summit of East African school sports.
The 20 titles demonstrate that Kenya’s strength no longer rests on athletics alone. From the running tracks and cross-country course to hockey pitches, rugby fields, volleyball courts, handball arenas and chess boards, Kenyan learners accumulated the victories necessary to overcome a formidable Ugandan challenge.
READ ALSO: President Ruto orders new Govt payroll system as crackdown targets irregular payments
Uganda’s 19 gold medals ensured the battle remained close, but when competition ended at Jamhuri Stadium, Kenya stood on top of East African secondary school sport once again.
By Joseph Mambili
Get more stories from our website: Education News
To write to us or offer feedback, you can reach us at: editor@educationnews.co.ke
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
