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Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and Kenyatta University (KU) won the inaugural Sebastian Okech Nairobi Open Netball Tournament in the Super League and Division One categories, respectively, in Nairobi.

Speaking at Uhuru Complex on Sunday after the final whistle, tournament sponsor Sebastian Okech, a former Nairobi University lecturer and netball coach, stated that for netball to grow in Kenya, there should be concentrated efforts towards more competitions.

“I am so happy with the turnout for these two days. More competitions and incentives will serve as a catalyst for more netball clubs to emerge from grassroots levels, which will help our national teams from junior to senior levels,” conveyed Okech.

Nairobi County Netball Association chairperson Millicent Busolo similarly added that such competitions will be used to select both senior and junior national team players for upcoming assignments, urging more sponsors to come on board and follow suit.

“Our senior ladies’ national team just won in Singapore the other day. We still have more international assignments coming up for both men, women, and juniors,” noted Busolo, adding that national team scouts and coaches are keenly observing all players.

KNH narrowly defeated a tough Mathare team in the ladies’ Super League category to take home the title, while KU triumphed over fellow varsity side Daystar to win Division One in the same category.

Mpesa Foundation Academy was the only school that participated, hence could not be ranked, but they enjoyed a challenging outing against senior teams before returning to class for their high school exams, beating Absa, Daystar, and ASHUT while only losing to KU.