Basketball in Africa

The National men and women basketball teams leave the country on Sunday by road to participate in the Zone Five Africa Nations Cup championships which kick off in Kigali Rwanda on Monday through to Saturday.

The teams, which have been training at the Coca Cola National Stadium basketball gymnasium for the past three weeks concluded their training yesterday afternoon and expressed confidence they would win the championships.

The final contingent of players for the trip was named on Friday with Peter Kiganya who plays his professional basketball in Chile captaining the men and will be assisted by KCB Lions Tobias Onyango while Caroline Achieng Majeng of Eagle Wings was named the women’s captain and will be assisted by USIU’s Samba Mjomba.

Fundraiser

Kenya Basketball Federation officials have organised a fund raiser scheduled for Saturday at the Railway Club from 4.30 pm to raise funds for the teams travel.

KBF chairman Paul Otula has therefore sent a passionate appeal to well wishers and friends of basketball to turn up in large numbers and donate generously to enable the teams to travel.

Otula has praised International Basketball instructor and KBF Nairobi branch chairman Ronnie Owino for showing his love for the game by contributing sh.10,000 on behalf of the KBF Nairobi branch towards the Rwanda trip.

“We as KBF are very impressed by Owino’s kind gesture and is appealing to others well wishers to emulate him”, Otula said.

According to Vitalis Gode, KBF and Zone Five secretary General, the championship has attracted four women and five women teams who will play their matches on round robin basis on home and away format.

The women’s teams are Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi while the men’s teams are Kenya, Egypt, Rwanda,Uganda, and Burundi.

Kenya Teams:

Women: Caroline Achieng (Captain), Samba Mjomba (vice captain), Brenda Odula, Anastasia Njeri, Bridgid Nanzala, Hilda Indasi, Purity Odhiambo, Helen Oketch, Everlyne Akoth, Yvonne Akinyi, Elenor Musundi, Emma Nyakweba, and Everlyne Sande Norah.

Men: Peter Kiganya, Tobias Onyango, Dan Okwiri, Patrick Kirui, Victor Odendo, Yoni Wanambiro,Frankline Delano, John Paul Nyadaro, William Odhiambo, Gifffin Ligare, Allan Ouma, Ben Ogola and Tiberius Menya.