Kakamega coach raises sports concern amid schools closure

Kakamega School rugby team head coach Amos Wamanga says he hopes the School Games calendar will remain intact and sports will continue to hold its rightful place in the schools curriculum when they reopen.

Last week the Government announced all schools – which were shut in mid-March over coronavirus concerns – will remain closed until January next year amid a recent surge in new infections in the country.

While some students have been able to cover the syllabus using online resources, Wamanga says there need to be avenues for ensuring talented kids stay in shape lest their abilities go down the drain.

Wamanga’s Kakamega have enjoyed unrivaled success in rugby 15s, boasting a record 14 national titles and have been crowned East African champions eight times.

“It’s not possible to monitor my players at this period and I’m worried many will lose focus. Rugby requires commitment and high level discipline but every day I’m scratching my head on how I can reach my boys. A loss for these talents is a loss to our national teams who depend on schools to feed them,” he told Citizen Digital.

The celebrated coach has however urged the Ministry of Education not to sacrifice the School Games calendar when learning resumes in January saying sports forms an integral part of student life.

“Education stakeholders should not overlook co-curricular activities once schools reopen. The same way they are putting measures to ensure safety for the children should also be applying to how games will resume,” he added.

Nonetheless, Wamanga is optimistic his charges will pick from where they left and go all the way to defend the East Africa title.

“Before the pandemic struck, we had just defended our county title and the morale was high but that has not ended our ambitions of continuing to rule in Kenya and beyond. I urge my boys to embrace individual training and keep things which will make them lose the focus,” he said.

Kakamega remain the host of the rescheduled national and East Africa games.