Butere Girls are the 2025 basketball champions in the just concluded Brookside Kenya Secondary School Sports Association (KSSSA) Term One National Games in Mombasa County.

The western powerhouse, which stormed into the final after edging out Nairobi Region champions Olympic in a resounding 63-35 win, rubberstamped their dominance to retain their title against Kaya Tiwi on Saturday, April 12, 2025.

Amid drama and controversy surrounding the ‘Echoes of War’ play by their schoolmates, Sylvester Ndidi’s coached side defeated Kaya Tiwi 76-53 to take home their historic three-peat, having won the competition in 2024 after a narrow win over Buruburu Girls (49-43) and in 2023.

Following the win where they dominated the match from start to finish, Butere will be heading to the East African Games scheduled for August this year.

“Today, we are going for nothing short of a win. We have played the opponents before, and we know we are capable of beating them,” Ndidi told the media before the final.

“Mentally and physically, we came into this match prepared. It was a very stiff competition as our challengers (Olympic) had put up a spirited fight, but we managed to beat them. At the beginning, the weather was not favouring us but now that we have acclimatised, we are sure of a win against the regional champions. Our aim today is to put our best foot forward and ensure we win,” Butere Girls captain Yvonne Sheril added in a pre-match interview.

In the boys’ basketball, Laiser Hill put on a spirited performance to grab a win against defending champions Dr Aggrey in a 71-69 final score line.

Rugby 15’s

Vihiga High School also stole the show during the final day of the Brookside KSSSA National Secondary School Games, where they were crowned new rugby champions.

Vihiga stole the spotlight by dethroning Kisii School in the national rugby title with a 14-6 win. Vihiga’s late try helped them finish the tournament unbeaten.

Hockey

Hockey fans were also treated to a high-octane and tense final between Tigoi Girls and St Joseph Girls Kitale. Tigoi retained their title courtesy of Salome Anyango’s heroic shot in the 50th minute, which sent a sizeable crowd in Mombasa into a frenzy.

Tigoi blew away St Joseph Girls Kitale with a 3-2 scoreline.

Energy and passion were also exhibited in the boys’ hockey final between Musingu High School and St Anthony Kitale. However, Musingu came out with the last laugh following a narrow 1-0 win.

Handball

In handball, Moi Girls Kamusinga continued with their dominance and blew away St Joseph Kitale in a 24-14 scoreline, while Dagoretti Mixed edged Kadika 25-24 in a thrilling third-place playoff.

In the boys’ category, another Western team carried the day. Kimilili Boys outmuscled Kamito from Rift Valley 35-18, while Highway High clinched third place after a 21-15 victory over Manyatta from Eastern.

Generally, schools from Western Kenya performed well in the just-concluded Brookside KSSSA National Secondary School Games.

Various winners will be looking to extend their impressive runs during the East African School Games in August 2025.