Defending netball champions University of Eldoret will headline the Kenya Universities Sports Federation (KUSF) ball games play-offs, which start today in Nairobi.
More than 1,500 student-athletes are expected to compete across multiple disciplines. The four-day championships, running from March 26–29, are being hosted at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.
The event will feature the top two teams from each KUSF conference. The teams will battle for national honours in football, netball, basketball, hockey, rugby sevens, volleyball and rugby 15s, introduced to the programme this year.
UOE, who swept both men’s and women’s netball titles at last year’s finals held at Kenyatta University, return as favourites but face a rebuilding task after losing several key players to graduation.
UOE head coach Stellar Kiptoo said her side remains competitive despite the changes, noting that qualification from the Rift Valley Conference at Maasai Mara University came after a strong showing that included victory over Egerton University.
“We had a tough qualification route, and that prepared us well. The team is different now, but we are ready to compete,” Kiptoo said.
KUSF Secretary General, Joan Adalo, confirmed that all qualified teams will take part in the play-offs, terming this year’s competition highly competitive due to increased parity across conferences.
In football, defending champions Masinde Muliro University will not feature after failing to qualify, with Western Conference slots taken up by Kibabii University and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology.
Matches will be spread across several venues. Hockey will be staged at the University of Nairobi, basketball ( Strathmore University) and netball (Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Karen Campus). Other events will be staged at the main host venue. The championships are expected to conclude on Sunday afternoon.
Adalo said fans can expect high-intensity contests throughout the four days, noting that the university games continue to serve as a key pipeline for talent feeding into national teams. He said with scouts and federation officials closely monitoring performances across all disciplines as institutions battle not only for titles but also for national recognition.
