- The Ministry of Education has reduced the number of Kenyan teams travelling to the 2026 FEASSSA Games in Morogoro over funding constraints.
- The ministry has introduced a new formula allowing only defending champion disciplines to field three teams, with all others limited to two.
- The cuts have raised the stakes for schools competing in the ongoing KSSSA national semi-finals as they fight for fewer qualification slots.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has reduced the number of teams that will represent Kenya at this year’s Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSSA) Games in Morogoro, Tanzania, citing inadequate funding.
The decision marks a major shift from the ministry’s initial plan, which had allowed more teams to qualify across various disciplines, and is expected to influence the ongoing Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) National Term Two Games at M-Pesa Foundation Academy in Thika, where the national semi-finals are underway.
Education officials said the government is unable to finance a larger contingent due to budgetary constraints, forcing the ministry to trim the number of teams heading to Tanzania despite Kenya’s strong tradition at the East African games.
Under the revised directive, only sports in which Kenya won the overall title at last year’s FEASSSA Championships will be allowed to field three teams at this year’s edition, while all other disciplines will now be represented by only two teams each.
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The funding cuts are expected to affect several disciplines that had anticipated sending three representatives to Tanzania, following earlier communication from FEASSSA that had indicated a wider qualification allowance.
With schools competing in the national semi-finals now fighting for fewer available slots to the regional championships, the stakes in the qualification race have risen sharply, particularly for disciplines where an additional slot had previously boosted teams’ chances of making the trip.
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Kenya has traditionally been one of the dominant nations at the FEASSSA Games, regularly producing champions in football, volleyball, basketball, rugby, hockey and athletics. The latest directive, however, means only the disciplines defending a title from last year will enjoy the advantage of three qualification slots this time round.
With the KSSSA national championships now entering the decisive knockout stage, schools are under increased pressure to secure one of the limited tickets to Morogoro, where Kenya’s representatives will face off against top secondary school teams from Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan later this month.
By Jeff Kirui
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