Embu, Kajiado draw in Kicosca opener

Embu County football team played to a 1-1 draw against Kajiado County in the opening game of the sixth edition of the Kenya inter-county Sports and Cultural Association (KICOSCA) Games taking place in Kisii.

Robert Saningo opened the scoring for Kajiado in the 35th minute after a defensive blunder by Dickson Njue in the area.

Saniango remained a thorn in the flesh of Embu who for the entire first half, with constant strikes in their goal.

In second half Embu came back re-energized and  got the equalizer 10 minutes before  the end through Dominic Gitonga, a result that impressed there head coach Martin Ireri.

“We spent the halftime analyzing our opponent’s weakness and we capitalized on that in the second half. I feel we could have done better but we live to fight another day. We need on improve on our defense,” said the coach.

Francis Pele, Kajiado coach, admitted his side was not steady in the second stanza allowing Embu to come back.

“We looked comfortable and didn’t press as we did in the first half, we have learnt our lessons and will improve in the coming games” he said.

In the other matches played in the afternoon Kisii beat Nandi 1-0, Peter Omwani scoring the solitary goal, while Nairobi won 2-0 against Laikipia.

Henry Motego, the Kisii head coach, still wants more from his side in their second match.

“My team played well but we need to sharpen our striking force, we could have killed this game by half time if we took our chances, am expecting improvement in our next match,” said the legendary footballer former Kenyan International.

Uasin Gishu won the mixed rally followed by the host Kisii while Narok came in a distance third.

The match and race were preceded   by the opening ceremony attended by the Kisii governor James Ongwe, who assured the participants of a great sporting event.

“I am confident we have what it takes to host a successful competition. We have sports facilities, hospitality industry that can accommodate every guest comfortably. We shall do everything within our means to ensure everything flows uninterrupted,” offered Ongwae.

Others in attendance included   Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua, Kisumu Governor Professor Anyang Nyongo, Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs Margaret Kobia among others.