United States International University-Africa (USIU), Kenyatta University (KU) and Mount Kenya University (MKU) stamped their authority as the Kenya University Sports Federation (KUSF) National Games wrapped up on Friday at the University of Eldoret, with all three institutions posting strong tallies across multiple disciplines.
USIU emerged overall champions with 24 gold, 13 silver and 21 bronze medals, edging KU, which finished second with 23 gold, 22 silver and 26 bronze. MKU claimed third place after a spirited campaign, collecting 21 gold, 25 silver and 26 bronze medals, just three golds shy of top spot. The 10th edition of the games drew 21 universities, underscoring the rising competitiveness across the collegiate sports scene.
MKU’s medal haul was propelled by a youthful core, with first-year “young Turks” in karate making a standout debut after joining in September 2025. The woodball team, reinforced by a handful of experienced players, proved the university’s most prolific outfit, stepping up after senior stalwarts graduated days before the competition and were ineligible to participate.
The swimming squad also weighed in with a basket of medals, complemented by strong returns from taekwondo (men and women), tennis (men), badminton (men and women), table tennis (men and women), darts (men), and athletics, though the latter’s performance dipped due to the absence of key athletes currently training with the Kenya Army and Kenya Police.
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MKU sports, film, creative and performing arts coordinator William Luta hailed the campaign as thrilling, praising the resilience of emerging talents. “I am in awe of how our teams have performed here. Most players are young, unexposed talents from the recent September intake, but they have shown positive attitude and resilience. They fought for the honour of their institution,” he said.
Luta noted that the university is deliberate about nurturing talent and sharpening competitiveness, flagging facility upgrades and expanded match exposure as priorities. “This event has been a learning point too. We need to improve on our training facilities and also facilitate our students to participate in many competitive as well as friendly events to gain exposure and confidence,” he said.
Acknowledging the podium finish while eyeing improvement, Luta linked MKU’s slip in athletics and taekwondo to player movements into uniformed services. “Managing third position was not our intention, but we welcome it and we shall get back to work on our shortfalls. Our performance was also affected by a number of our strong athletes who were absorbed in different uniformed forces, weakening our athletics and taekwondo teams, where we have been dominant in the past. Competition is very high and all teams are very competitive this year,” he said.
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As we head back home, we are proud of our achievements. We look forward to 2026 for more sporting adventures, better performances in the competitive field and in nurturing young talents,” Luta added.
With the curtain down on a fiercely contested edition, USIU’s narrow lead over KU and MKU, set the stage for an even tighter race next season.
By John Kamau
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