The road to the Chapa Dimba na Safaricom Nyanza Region Finals is almost coming to a conclusion as Twelve teams from the six counties of the Nyanza Region – Kisumu, Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya, Kisii, and Nyamira – lined up on the weekend 23rd and 24th September 2023, for the inter-county playoffs to qualify for the regional finals scheduled for September 30th and October 1st in Kisumu.
The matches were categorized into two groups, with Group A comprising of the winners from Nyamira, Kisii, and Migori counties and Group B comprising the winners from Kisumu, Siaya, and Homa Bay Counties. The games were played in a round-robin format, with each team playing two matches. The top two teams in each pool will proceed to the regional finals set for September 30th and October 1st at Moi Stadium in Kisumu.
First matches were scheduled on Saturday, the 23rd of September 2023. From Group A, in the boys’ category, Nyaguku FC from Nyamira, Small Simba from Kisii, and Awendo Academy from Migori took the stage when they met at Rongo Show Grounds. In the girls’ category, Rigoma (Lowland) Starlets, Kisii Queens, and Agenga Ladies battled it out for the ticket to the finals after emerging as the county champions in their respective counties.
Group B matches took center stage on the Sunday 24th of September 2023, at Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay, bringing together Karabondi FC alias the Dark Horse from HomaBay, Obunga FC from Kisumu and St. Peter’s Wagai Mixed from Siaya County in the boys’ Category. In the Girls’ category, Ogande Girls from HomaBay, Plateau Ladies from Kisumu and VSA Girls from Siaya County.
Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay.
In the boys’ category:- Kisumu’s Obunga FC overwhelmed Karabondi FC – alias the Dark Horse – after beating them 1-0. Karabondi’s effort to redeem themselves in their second match failed to bear fruits when they suffered another 2-0 defeat against Siaya’s St. Peter’s Wagai. The third match, Obunga FC and St. Peter’s Wagai played to a goalless draw of 0-0, resulting in both teams qualifying with four points each eliminating Karabondi who garnered zero points.
In the girls category:- Plateau Queens, stamped their authority after winning both their matches against Ogande Girls (Homa Bay) and VSA girls (Siaya) to finish first in their group with six points. Ogande Girls faced yet another 3-1 defeat against VSA Girls from Siaya, sending them home, from the competition. VSA Academy were therefore, second in the group with three points and qualified for the Nyanza regional matches.
Rongo Show Ground in Migori County.
In the girls category:- Ageng’a Girls topped their group with four points after defeating Rigoma (Lowlands) Starlets 3-0 and drawing with Kisii Queens 0-0. Kisii Queens finished second after winning their second match at 2-1 against Rigoma Starlets. The Rigoma were last in the group and therefore, dropped from the competition.
In the Boys’ category:- Awendo Academy and Nyaguku FC secured their spots in the regional finals after Kisii’s Small Simba was disqualified for fielding ineligible players.
After thrilling and intense matches over the weekend, eight teams qualified for the Nyanza Region Finals to determine who will be the Nyanza Region champion in both girls’ and boys’ and the region’s representative at the National Finals in the ongoing Chapa Dimba na Safaricom tournament. Obunga FC and Plateau Queens from Kisumu, St. Peter’s Wagai Mixed and Victoria Sports Academy (VSA) from Siaya, Awendo Academy and Ageng’a Girls from Migori, Nyaguku FC from Nyamira and Kisii Queens from Kisii County have made it to Nyanza Regional finals set for September 30th and October 1st 2023, at Moi Stadium in Kisumu.