Gachanka Queens start title defence with win

Central Region edition of the second season of BingwaFest kicked off on Monday and is set to culminate with the finals on Sunday at Kinoru Stadium, Meru. 

Defending champions in women’s football, Gachanka Queens, were off to a perfect start as they hammered Isiolo United Ladies 4-0 in their opening match to stay on course in their title defence attempt, with Al Azizia also setting their eyes on claiming the men’s title again. 

Football will be played at Kinoru Primary School Grounds, Kaaga Girls Grounds, and Meru School Grounds before moving to Kinoru Stadium on Sunday for the finals. Rugby will be played at Meru School and Kaaga Girls' pitches, while athletics and basketball will be staged at Kinoru Stadium. 

Meru Nets captain Malvin Maingi is looking forward to featuring in the second edition and is hoping to push his team to a better finish in the 3x3 basketball, adding that Kinoru Stadium court installed during the first edition has helped them prepare well this time around. 

“Coming back for a second edition is an incredible feeling. We return for the second edition, ready to represent Meru and better our finish from last year. It is a privilege to play. Our mission to inspire and help make Meru basketball nationally recognised,” said Maingi.

“Over the past year, Kinoru has truly become our home. The court has come in handy in our preparation and has been a good infrastructure for the whole community, being the first public basketball court in the area. What started as a court has grown into a community, and we are proud to be part of that growth.” 

More than 600 athletes have registered to participate as they aim to have a share of more than Sh6 million that will be up for grabs in the various track disciplines.  

Naomi Chepngeno and Diana Cherotich highlight the women’s 10,000m and 5,000m races, while Yegon Kipkirui and Josphat Kipchirchir are the athletes to watch in the men’s races. 

Gold medallists in the lucrative 10,000m will take home Sh300,000, as the first and second runners-up will pocket Sh250,000 and Sh200,000, respectively. The athletes who finish fourth and fifth will round off the prize bracket and will receive Sh100,000 and Sh75,000 in that order.