The Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS) has kicked off its National Talent Development Camp at Hospital Hill High School in Nairobi, bringing together some 430 students of the most promising young athletes from across the country for an intense showdown that could launch their sports careers onto the global stage.

The students (215 boys and 215 girls) were selected after two weeks of intense training held in regional camps across Kisumu, Eldoret, Nairobi, and Mombasa. 

KAS elite coaches handpicked the crème de la crème of talent across eight disciplines, including football, rugby, volleyball, basketball, hockey, tennis, table tennis and badminton. The top performers from the county-level camps travelled to Nairobi on Sunday for another opportunity to compete for spots in the KAS national squad.

Five key disciplines (football, rugby, volleyball, hockey and basketball) are being contested for by both boys and girls.

Strong squad

 The boys’ football team and the boys’ and girls’ volleyball teams are training at Hospital Hill High School, while the Under-19 and Under-17 girls’ football teams are holding their sessions at Lavington Girls Secondary School under the guidance of coaches Fred Serenge and Betty Anyango.

“I want to appreciate KAS for organising these talent camps. The students we have received from the regional camps are so talented. We are going to train them well and name a strong squad,” remarked Stephen Ochola, the boys’ football team head coach. 

Ochola is working alongside Musa Otieno, Bernard Onyango and Frankline Miheso in preparing the boys’ football team. 

Meanwhile, volleyball head coach Sammy Kirongo believes that the KAS talent camps could provide a long-term solution to the shortage of talent development centers for both national men’s and women’s volleyball teams and Kenyan Premier League volleyball clubs. 

“These students are very skilled. They only need a bit of training in specific areas, and we’ll have strong players ready to represent the national teams and league clubs,” stated Kirongo. 

The KAS elite coaches across the five disciplines have until Friday to finalize their selections for the KAS national teams, which are set to undergo high-level training in Spain next year.