The Ministry of Education has vowed to crack down on schools engaging in mercenary tactics to win ongoing secondary school ball games as it undertakes investigations into Agai School’s petition against Kisumu Day for fielding ineligible football players.

This follows an appeal by Nyakach Sub-County administrators and fans, supportive of their home team Agai Mixed Secondary School boys’ football side, to Kisumu County Education Ministry officials to expeditiously resolve the matter.

Crackdown

In an interview with People Sport, Kisumu County’s Ministry of Education Director of Quality Assurance and Standards–Kavai Kisia–stated that the ministry was investigating the fielding of ineligible players in the ongoing games by County secondary schools, including administrators from Kisumu Day.

Kisia, who earier this week confirmed that the Ministry of Education had received Agai Mixed Secondary School’s petition against Kisumu Day, said the Ministry is concerned about the fielding of ineligible players by schools and the rampant use of mercenary tactics to win during the ongoing secondary school ball games.

“We have received Agai Mixed Secondary School’s petition against Kisumu Day. However, we are waiting for the respective school principals to conclude the ongoing Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (KESSHA) meeting in Mombasa for County Education Ministry officials to set a date to hear and determine Agai’s appeal against Kisumu Day,” Kisia stated.

Mercenary tactics

Further, he emphasized that the Ministry of Education is concerned about the rampant cases of school administrators using mercenary tactics, especially in football, to win over their opponent school teams.

In a separate interview with People Sport, Kisumu County Secondary Schools Ball Games Vice-Secretary, Milka Matiku, observed the Ministry of Education’s Secondary Schools Games Dispute Jury had already launched investigations following Agai Mixed Secondary School’s petition.

She disclosed: “I have in my possession Agai’s petition letter against Kisumu Day. However, I am waiting for instructions from the County Ministry of Education Games Dispute Jury Committee. Though the Ministry of Education has already sent an investigation team to schools such as Kasagam Mixed Secondary School to gather details regarding Agai’s petition against Kisumu Day’s fielding of ineligible players.

Ineligible players

What’s more, Agai Mixed Secondary School Chief Principal, Gordon Akoko, said the school has lodged a petition with Kisumu County Ministry of Education’s Schools Games Dispute Jury against Kisumu Day for fielding ineligible players during their County boys’ football final at Maseno School on June 21.

Akoko stated that their County boys’ football final opponents, Kisumu Day, fielded ineligible players with three different Unique Personal Identifiers (UPIs) from three schools: St. Paul’s Gekamo High School in Nyamira County, Musing High School in Kakamega County, and Bridge International Kakrai School in Migori County, during the repeat football final match staged at Maseno School.

“One of Kisumu Day’s fielded ineligible players, Hanmatom Osamo Ochieng, has a UPI number registered at Agai Mixed Secondary School. This proves how unscrupulous Kisumu Day’s actions were in the boys’ County football final, despite their frequent accusations and petitions against other schools for fielding ineligible players over the last seven years,” Akoko lamented.

Akoko, who provided copies of the ineligible players’ UPIs to People Sport, said that if the Kisumu County Ministry of Education’s Schools Games Dispute Jury does not satisfactorily resolve their petition against Kisumu Day, the school, along with the entire Nyakach Sub-County leadership, politicians, and fans, will further petition Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogo until justice is served.

Nyakach Sub-County East Kadianga Assistant Chief, Zablon Owito, under whose jurisdiction Agai Mixed Secondary School falls, said it is crucial for the Ministry of Education to ensure integrity in the Schools’ ball games. He added, “As Nyakach Sub-County leadership, we will pursue Agai’s petition against Kisumu Day to ensure justice is served.”

Owiti, a former school teacher, mentioned that cases of school administrators employing mercenary tactics to win ball games, especially in football, are rampant. He added, “I can tell you that as an assistant chief, while following up on a recent cattle rustling incident, my security team and I stumbled upon students huddled in a house at night. They confessed that they had been hired by a school to play in school ball games.”

Owiti and Agai football fan, Elisha Otieno, emphasized that schools should prudently use government funds allocated for sports to enhance the sporting potential and talent of bona fide students, instead of hiring mercenary players during school ball games. They appealed to Kisumu County Ministry of Education’s Games Dispute Jury to ensure justice in Agai’s petition against Kisumu Day.

Meanwhile, Nyakach Sub-County political leaders, South East Nyakach Ward Member of County Assembly (MCA) Lumumba Owade and Sub-County aspirant for Member of Parliament (MP) Eric Okeyo, including Agai Chief Principal Akoko’s children, all donated sets of football playing uniforms to the school’s boys’ football team in appreciation of reaching the County boys’ football final.