Hosts Homabay and Makueni Counties declared their status as the best sports hubs in the country with winning performances in the Kenya Youth Inter-County Sports Association (KYISA) games held in Homa Bay.

The Eastern county dominated the finals of various sporting disciplines, clinching the soccer ladies, basketball men, and football women categories to emerge as the joint triumphant team as the tournament concluded on Saturday, April 19, 2025.

The county’s women’s football team edged Kajiado 5-4 on a post-match penalty shoot-out to successfully defend their title for the third consecutive year.

Mutula Kilonzo Junior’s charges were led by the county’s Sports Executive Committee Member Sebastian Kyoni in the games.

Gladys Wanga’s Homabay also claimed a hat trick of wins, with the men’s team claiming a double in the men’s volleyball and football categories.

Homabay wins basketball

The women’s team piped Makueni 47-28 to bag the ladies basketball crown in their debut appearance in the championship.

On the basketball court, Makueni’s men’s defeated Homabay 74-54 in the finals. Kitui, Siaya, Migori, and Samburu Counties were other participants in the discipline.

In men’s football, Homabay secured a 1-0 victory against Makueni in a tense, closely contested match.

The victory sealed a second KYISA championship for Homabay in a space of three years.

The Nyanza county beat Nakuru 3-0 to punch their ticket in the finals and set a date with Makueni.

Nakuru joined the pair among the standout performers.

The Rift Valley county finished third in both the men’s football and women’s basketball categories.

Nakuru’s run

Nakuru defeated Migori 2-0 in the third-position play-off to claim bronze in the men’s category, while the women’s basketball team triumphed over Siaya with a 62-52.

The team’s women’s basketball team bowed out on the semifinals stage after going down 44-30 to Machakos.

Busia County earned the volleyball honours in the women’s category following their win over debutants Homabay.

Siaya and Nandi County came in third and fourth, respectively.

Dominant Makueni

In the men’s category, Homabay beat Makueni to claim gold, with Nandi overpowering Kajiado for the third spot position.

Kyoni attributed the outstanding performance to the county’s grassroots sports initiatives led by the governor, particularly the ward-based Ligi Mashinani program and the MKJ Supa Cup tournament, which have nurtured emerging talent and elevated the county’s competitive edge.

The week-long event, which kicked off on April 13, brought together over 2,500 youth participants aged between 18 and 23 years from 16 counties.