Sports

Makueni County on Saturday held a special football tournament for street children at Emali, aiming to connect with them and understand their background, needs, skills and areas of intervention towards their life and livelihood improvement.

Gender, Children, Youth, Sports, and Social Services Executive Committee Member Eng. Sebastian Kyoni, who flagged off the tournament, stated that the competition serves as a mobilization tool to help get children off the streets.

With support from Social Development and Children Officers, the department will engage with the children to create individualized care plans, including family reintegration where possible.

Children without family support will be rehabilitated at the Makueni Children Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.

The event was also part of activities leading up to the Day of the African Child to be held on Monday 16th June at Unoa Grounds in Wote.

Makueni is set to host the national celebrations for the Day of the African Child, highlighting efforts to protect and uplift vulnerable children.

According to Kyoni, the initiative aligns with Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr vision of social inclusion, promoting equity and equality for all Makueni residents.

Makueni County has made an emphatic statement at the ongoing Kenya Youth Inter-county Sports Association (KYISA) games in Homa Bay, with her teams across multiple disciplines delivering impressive performances that have established them as serious title contenders.

The men’s football team set the tone early, pulling off a stunning 1-0 victory against defending champions Busia in their opening match. They followed this with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Wajir to comfortably secure a place in the quarterfinals. 

Taking cue from their male counterparts, Makueni’s women footballers fought hard in their opening match to earn a 1-1 draw against neighboring Kitui before producing a commanding 2-0 victory over Kajiado that booked their spot in the semifinals.

On the basketball court, the women’s team provided one of the tournament’s most thrilling moments, edging Siaya 48-47 in a nail-biting encounter that went down to the wire. 

The men’s volleyball team also made their mark with a convincing 3-1 win against Nyeri, though the women’s volleyball team suffered a 3-0 setback against a strong Nandi side in their opener.

With multiple teams advancing deep into the knockout stages, Makueni County has firmly established itself as one of the teams to beat at this year’s KYISA games.

Makueni County is on a mission to conquer once more! Fresh off their stunning triumph at last year’s Kenya Youth Inter-county Sports Association (KYISA) games in Malindi, the defending champions are charging into Homa Bay with fire in their hearts and victory on their minds.

In an electrifying flag-off ceremony on Friday, Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. handed the county flag to six teams—men and women primed for glory—as they prepare to battle for supremacy from April 13th to 19th.

“We are not just participating—we are defending our crown!” declared Governor Mutula, expressing confidence in the squads assembled from the just concluded MKJ Supa Cup.

Last year, Makueni left opponents in the dust, clinching gold in men’s volleyball and dominating women’s football. Now, with Homa Bay in their sights, the champions are hungry to prove their reign is no fluke.

A total of 1,740 youth in Makueni County are set to benefit from Wazo, a youth empowerment program spearheaded by the National Government to tackle unemployment and nurture innovation among young people.

The Wazo initiative takes a comprehensive approach to sustainable development by equipping youth with entrepreneurial skills, supporting the growth of startups, and addressing key barriers such as high failure rates of youth-led businesses and lack of knowledge on patenting and intellectual property rights.

Speaking in Makueni on Wednesday, Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs,Creative Economy, and Sports, Salim Mvurya, urged the youth to seize the opportunity to shape their future through innovation and enterprise.

He further added that each beneficiary will undergo a six-month intensive training and will receive a monthly stipend of K.sh 6,000 to support them during the period.

Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili echoed the sentiments, highlighting the county’s ongoing youth empowerment efforts including the Ujuzi Teketeke skills development program and sports initiatives.

Makueni’s premier sports competition, MKJ Supa Cup, has kicked off where 360 teams of both men and women are battling it out in six disciplines: football, volleyball, basketball, beach volleyball, beach Handball, and 3×3 basketball.

The Supa Cup, an annual tournament, is a culmination of the county’s Ligi Mashinani sports league where teams from the 30 wards compete for a spot at the Supa Cup, which begins at the Sub-county level.

On 8^th and 9^th March, 2025, Kibwezi East and Kibwezi West Sub-county finals took place, with scouts on the ground to identify outstanding talents and also select an all-star team to fly the sub-county flag to the county finals. On 15^th March, Mbooni and Kaiti will stage their finals while action in Kilome and Makueni will take place on 22^nd and 23^rd.

From the Supa Cup, each of the six sub-counties will select an all-star team for the county finals scheduled for 29^th and 30^th March, 2025. From the county final, a county team in each discipline will be assembled to represent Makueni at the Kenya Youth Inter-county Sports Association (KYISA) games in Homabay

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr says the tournament provides a structured pathway for young athletes aged 18-23 to develop their skills, gain exposure, and transition into national and international sports careers.

He says through this initiative, Makueni County continues to solidify its reputation as a powerhouse in grassroots sports development, providing a stage where talent meets opportunity.

To further diversify sports, the county government has set the ball rolling to construct an indoor games arena in Wote town. Governor Mutula says this arena, now at design stage, will put Makueni on the same pedestal with other sporting counties, and produce athletes able to compete at the global space.

In February, the county hosted a successful indoor games tournament featuring chess, darts, draughts and pool table competitions.

The MKJ Indoor Games finals commenced on Friday morning in Wote, featuring competition in pool table, chess, darts, and draughts.

The competition brought together 360 finalists from across the county, with pool table attracting 180 participants and the other three disciplines each featuring 60 finalists.

County Executive Committee Member in charge of Sports, Eng. Sebastian Kyoni, who officially opened the finals, described the event as a strategic step towards diversifying sports in Makueni. This initiative aligns with Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr.’s vision of promoting social inclusion and ensuring no one is left behind.

The event has attracted officials from national sports federations, who are working with the county government to establish a framework for integrating these disciplines into the annual sports calendar. This move will facilitate the organization of tournaments and the identification and development of raw talent for nurturing and potential monetization.