JOBO joins the big boys with maiden win
By Emmanuel Rono and Bosco Magare, August 4, 2025St Joseph’s Boys High School, Kitale, affectionately known as “JOBO,” etched their name in history books after clinching their maiden national football crown at the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) Term Two games at Mumias Complex Stadium.
The Saturday, August 2, 2025, match saw Shadrack Kiboi’s thunderous header in the second half give Rift Valley champions JOBO a well-earned crown and cemented their dominance on the national scene as they defeated home favourites Musingu High School 1-0.
But this was no ordinary triumph. It was the outcome of the perseverance, vision, and faith that their football-savvy principal, Cosmas Nabungolo, and head coach, Amos Juma, instilled in the team.
JOBO’s victory was more than just a score; it was a statement of intent from a school that has quietly built one of the best football programmes in the country.
St Joseph’s Boys have shown that discipline, teamwork and a drive for achievement continue to define champions.
Much of JOBO’s transformation can be credited to Chief Principal Cosmas Nabungolo, a seasoned football tactician who has turned every school he leads into a powerhouse.
When he joined St Joseph’s Boys, many wondered whether the same magic could happen again — and indeed, it has. He not only revived the school’s sports culture but also built a squad with depth, skill, and character.
Speaking to People Sports after the titanic boys’ national football final, St Joseph’s boys’ football team coach Amos Juma stated, “It was not an easy fixture against defending champions Musingu. We are extremely happy following our first-ever victory to clinch the national KSSSA trophy and qualify to represent Kenya at the East Africa schools championship.”
In a separate interview on August 3, 2025, Musingu Scorpions’ coach Brandson Mwinamo retorted, “It was a very difficult game and victory was bound to go either way. Nonetheless, we are now going to focus on our qualification for the East Africa Secondary Schools ball games.”
And in the girls’ football category, defending champions Butere Girls retained their title after a fiercely fought encounter against Madira Secondary School, edging out the Vihiga County-based side 1-0.
Madira coach Sharon Vulima conceded that the final match was tough, adding, “The two teams’ players know each other. We tried our best to win over Butere, but lady luck was not on our side. We want to recollect ourselves and focus on the next East Africa schools competition matches.”
However, Madira coach Vulima blamed the team’s loss on the first-half injury of the side’s key player Himojeen Masalila and the disruption of the match by police, who swung into action to ward off unruly football fans who wanted to forcefully settle at the match venue’s VIP stand instead of their designated stadium terraces area.
“Lobbing of tear gas by police to ward off scores of unruly fans contributed to our final match loss since it disrupted our players’ concentration in the game as two outstanding Madira players, Valery Leah and Kimberly Akinyi, gallantly rallied their teammates in last-ditch efforts to reverse the scores,” Vulima explained.
Madira’s counterpart technical bench officials, led by coach Edwin Sakwa, including the school’s girls’ football assigned teacher, Tobias Ojenge and Chris Odeke, who is assigned another games discipline at the school, attributed good preparation and the presence of eight Harambee Starlets players in the team for the tightly contested win against formidable Madira.
Butere Girls football players who were in the team’s stable against Madira and play for Harambee Starlets are Christine Adhiambo, Doncas Glender, Clotinda Auma, Halima Imbachi, Patience Asiko, Lorna Wasike, Noelina Wandera, Joy Marvellous and Christine Farine.