Openda, Barasa highlight SOYA Coach of the Year shortlist

Telkom hockey club head coach Jos Openda and Prisons Kenya volleyball head coach Josp Barasa, headline the five coaches shortlisted for the 2019 Sports Personality of the Year Awards (SOYA).

Openda is fresh from delivering a record 10th Africa Cup for Club Championships title in the last month’s tournament held in Abuja , Nigeria, dethroning defending champions Ghana Revenue.

On his part, Prisons Barasa led his Kenya Prisons women club to reclaim the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) league title from rivals Kenya Pipeline at the national play-offs in December.

Also in the mix are tennis coach Rosemary Owino, Kenya Lionesses head coach Wambua and KCB rugby coach Curtis Olago.

The winner will be awarded in the SOYA gala set to be held on January 11 at the Fort Jesus, Mombasa.

Prisons started the three day play-offs with bang sweeping newcomers Bungoma County and KCB by straight sets before edging their arch-rivals Pipeline 3-1 to bring to an end to Pipeline’s  five-year dominance .

Barasa also led his charges to the finals of the Africa Club Championships in April albeit as an assistant to David Lun’gaho.

Also in the mix is Tennis coach Rosemary Owino who led Kenya’s duo of Ismael Changawa and Ibrahim Kibet in beating top seeded Benin pair of Alexis Klegou and Felix Hounkpevi win the title in the Africa Group III Championship finals in June 2018. Similarly, he led Sheil Kotecha to victory over Benin’s Delmas N’Tcha.

Owino also guided Kenyan team back to the Davis Cup Euro/Africa Group II Tennis Championship after 13 years.

Kenya Lionesses head coach Kevin Wambua is also in the run for the gong having led Kenya to the first ever Africa Sevens title as well as after edging neighbours Uganda 29-7 in the finals held in Gaborone, Botswana in May.

Apart from that, Wambua also steered the Kenyan queens to a sixth-place finish at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

KCB rugby coach Curtis Olago has once again made the cut owing to KCB’s Kenya Cup heroics where the side lifted the title unbeaten as well as defending the Enterprise Cup while also finishing the 2018 National Sevens Series at the second runners up.

Olago led KCB RFC to defending the Kenya Cup, this time lifting it unbeaten. The bankers also defended the Enterprise Cup and finished third overall in the 2018 National Sevens Series.