By Reuben Olitaย
Kodra FC from Kotur in Teso Central Sub-County are the inaugural winners of Wangula Back to school champions that was played on a roundrobbin basis and involved four under-17 teams.
The one day event was sponsored by Frank Wangula, an aspirant for Malaba Central Ward Member of the County Assembly in the 2027 General Election.
The matches played at Amagoro Comprehensive School grounds on Saturday saw Kodra take top honours after accumulating seven points from two wins and a draw.
Kodra opened the Wangula Back to School Edition with a 2-1 win against Amagoro Under 17 side the Galaxy. Brian Iseme, form 3 student of Kabkara Secondary School and Musokoto Grade 10 student Jairus Manasseh scored a goal each in the first half with Victor Ishepe, a Grade 10 student of KSSSA champions Kakamega School netting the consolation goal for Amagoro Galaxy. I
In the second game, Kotur pipped Kimaet 1-0 with Victor Ishepe, scoring the lone goal in the second half.
In their last match, Kodra and Kiriko settled for a goalless draw in the match watched by Football Kenya Federation Secretary General Victor Ochakala and Amagoro businessman Edwin Aluku, among others.
After losing 1-2 to Kodra FC, Amagoro Galaxy recovered their poise to beat Kiriko 1-0 with Victor Ishepe netting the lone goal. The Galaxy hopes of finishing second were dashed in their third match after losing 0-1 to New Life Academy Kimaet.
Despite missing numerous scoring chances, Galaxy was stunned by a goal from Alvin Wekesa, a form 3 student of St. Josephโs Kitale.
Kiriko finished the first runner-up with four points. They lost 0-1 to Amagoro in the first match. They beat Kimaet in their second game before forcing Kodra to goalless draw in their last match.
Despite producing that scintillating performance, all four teams received equal prizes of 100, 200-page books, and 100 pens.
Addressing the players, Wangula said he opted to award the teams with books and pens because virtually all players in the four teams are secondary school players.
Wangula said the first edition of the event witnessed scouts from secondary schools and colleges attend to identify talents and recruit them for future engagements.
โ Wangulaโs back to school second edition will be bigger with 10 teams for boys and a similar number of teams for girls drawn from across the subcoubty and neighbouring sub-counties and counties,โ he said.
Wangula added: โ A part from books and pens, the winners will be awarded with boots and socks. Girls will also receive sanitary pads with boys getting boxers. We shall also provide food and drinks to teams and introduce eating competition.โ
.
He urged students to embrace the culture of discipline as they prepared to go back to school, telling them to avoid groups that are fond of burning schools.
Wangula urged politicians to stop premature campaigns, noting that he is still in gear one and will intensify his efforts at an appropriate time. โ Ours is issue based politics. Our main focus is to help our people.โ Vm
Victor Ochakala gave caution to students who have taken football as their career. โ Ensure you acquire education alongside football to propel you to greater heights. Many players who are educated have acquired scholarships in learning institutions,โ he said. Om
Ochakala said sports without education doesnโt add up to your life. โ All coaches of Amagoro Galaxy u-17 team are university graduates. Scouts from secondary schools and colleges were a big plus for the event.โ
The SG said FC Amagoro has earned a reputation for producing some top players in the country. They include Harambee Stars Deputy captain Bonface Muchiri and former Tusker FC towering defender Chris Oruchum.
Ochakala also gave an example of FC Amagoro former winger Eugene Barasa, whose progressive career saw him join Premier League side Sofapaka on a six-month contract. This season; Eugene has signed for another Premier league club, Kakamega Homeboyz.
