Meru welcomes primary schools for nationals

Over 2,000 primary school pupils and 400 officials are in Meru County for the Kenya Primary and Special Schools national ball games championships that will kick off on Monday across various venues within the county.

The Kenya Primary Schools Sports Association (KPSSA) national ball games – that have attracted 800 pupils who will compete in football, handball, volleyball and netball – will be staged at the Meru Teachers training college.

Those under the Kenya Primary schools sports association for learners with special needs will be held at Meru national polytechnic, Kanyakine Boys and Gikumene Girls grounds.

The about 1,200 pupils will compete in football, handball, volleyball and netball, scrabble, tenniquoit, deaf blind games, showdown, goal ball and autism children games.

The special needs teams will hold a procession in Meru town to sensitise members of the public about their events.

In the KPSSA football, defending champions Nyanza will kick off the tournament against Rift Valley whom they defeated in last year’s finals in what promises to be a thrilling match.

The teams in pool ‘B’ will also face fellow heavyweights Western and Nairobi in what has been billed as the group of death.

Pool ‘A’ has hosts Eastern, Central, Coast and Northern who are seeking to perform well.

In the girls’ football, Nyanza will face off with Eastern, Northern and Western in pool ‘A’, while Coast, Rift Valley, Nairobi and Central battle it out in pool ‘B’.

KPSSA chairman Rashid Mbalo said they had held a clinic for 150 officials together with 32 chaperons and team managers at Kaaga Girls.

He said they were excited to see how the first edition would turn out since new age guidelines were introduced.

Only pupils who are below 15 years are taking part in this year’s championships.

Mbalo said the country will also be sending teams in volleyball and football to this year’s East African ball games in Arusha, Tanzania this August.