As the Rift Valley Secondary School Sports kicks off today in Bomet County, teachers and coaches have been advised to utilise their own students rather than ‘sourcing’ players from outside the learning institutions due to their experience.
The advice comes amidst rising cases of schools fielding inelligible players, especially in competitive matches like regionals and nationals, with the aim of gaining championships through the involvement of non-students.
Kapsimbiri Secondary School football club, which had emerged as Bomet County champions this year, was disqualified after defeating Kaplong Boys Secondary School 3-0 in the county competitions held at Bomet IAAF Stadium last month.
During the coaches and referees training session at Bomet University in preparation for the regional games across various stadiums in Bomet, officials from the Rift Valley Secondary School Sports Association emphasized that many schools might opt to field non-students in the competition, thus denying their own students a chance to showcase their talents.
Representatives from 14 Rift Valley counties will be present with various teams competing from today until Saturday to identify qualifiers for the regionals.
Secretary Koech Kirwa expressed concern that it would be unfair for the government to allocate funds for sporting activities while teams give opportunities to non-student players at the expense of genuine learners.
In attendance were Bomet County Director of Education Leonard Ngugi, TSC counterpart William Yator, and association vice-chairman Sammy Githungu.
Kirwa called on match officials to verify team documents to prevent forgeries and ensure fair play for genuine students aiming to showcase their abilities.
“The games teachers and coaches should be strict on the players by ensuring that genuine students are given a chance to fully showcase their talents. By doing this, it will help weed out rogue sports teachers who procure services of outsiders to join their school teams,” he remarked.
Kirwa disclosed that game officials and referees underwent training ahead of the four-day championship and emphasized the need for them to handle it impartially and professionally.
He continued: “We cannot tolerate poor officiating when the officials are well-trained and expected to perform their duties diligently and impartially.”
