Andenga's bravery puts Absa Bank on the tug of war throne
Sports
By
Ochieng Oyugi
| Sep 16, 2025
They are strong. They are fierce, and they are dreaded.
Like a Tsunami, they have swept all rivals along the way, and are now on course to sealing a fourth successive title.
Who will stop the magnificent Absa Bank Kenya ladies tug of war team that is literally on the rampage in the ongoing 39th edition of the Interbank Games in Nairobi?
Clinical team captain Christine Andenga has so far steered the flawless side to six victories in the tournament, beating Equity, Stanbic, Prime Bank, DTB and CBK with a whopping 2-0 margin each.
Last evening (Monday) they were poised to tackle I&M Bank, a match the captain termed as a 'mincemeat' to them.
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While revealing the secret to their dominance in the sport, Andenga said: "It's discipline and consistency. Players and teams cannot win anything without these two virtues."
"We have sought the services of professional coaches from the General Service Unit (GSU), and as you know, GSU are the best in the tug of war game across the country."
"We have proper facilitation from our employer who has a wellness culture that promotes sports."
“Employees have also been subdivided into kayas or small tribes or houses at the workplace to keep track of each other and be accountable to each other's physical and mental well-being."
This season, the team opted to test their mettle a little further by joining the various tug of war leagues dotting the capital, and also engaged in various friendly matches each month.
“We have opted to diversify in the sport to add value to the players, and the fact that we are the Interbank Games defending champions, we had to be solid. I’m glad the leagues and friendlies have made us peerless," said Andenga, who is also the team's athletics captain.
Ahead of this year's annual banking showpiece, Andenga said they worked on their skills and techniques to be perfect in all departments.
"Tug of war is a skill, not the body mass. You need to know how to go down and come up very fast. It's such an involving game of which tactics keep changing all the time."
“It's a sport of mistakes. You have to master how to capitalise on your opponents' shortcomings. It's a game that keeps evolving," she added.