Karabondi edge Mbita to win Chapa Dimba in Homabay

Karabondi FC, alias the Dark Horse,  are the Safaricom Chapa Dimba Homa Bay County champions after edging, Mbita High School, 1-0 in a hard-fought match played on Sunday at the Wakiaga Polytechnic Grounds.

Karabondi secured the hard-fought win courtesy of Brian Odhiambo who struck from the spot in the 23rd minute, after Mbita’s defender Isaac Elshadai handled the ball in the box.

Karabondi head coach Jacob Otieno said the win came as a result of good organization and defending by his side. 

The tactician also thanked the organizers of the tournament for good job they had done in setting it up and ensuring that it ran in a professional way.

"This is our first time participating in the Chapa Dimba tournament, and emerging as county champions is something we are immensely proud of. As a team, we have experienced a well-organized tournament, and I want to encourage Safaricom to continue with the spirit as it helps expose many untapped talents. We knew the finals were not going to be a walk in the park, as Mbita High School is a tough team. In the second half, they came back very strong and almost equalized. However, we managed to defend the one goal that we scored in the first half through a penalty, which ultimately made us victorious at the end of the day," he said.

 In the other category, Ogande Girls beat Alara from Karachuonyo. 

Mercy Amuomo broke the deadlock in the 9th minute after receiving a cross from Julin Zena. She doubled the score in the 77th minute, propelling Ogande Girls to the title.

The brace saw her take her total goals scored in the tournament to eight, earning her the title of top scorer, which she tied with her teammate, Joy Marvelous.

She also emerged as the Most Valuable Player, winning a prize of KES. 10,000, including a TVET Scholarship courtesy of the Safaricom Foundation.

In Migori County, 

Awendo Academy knocked out Kangeso FC 4-2 on penalties to be crowned the county champions. This was after the two teams went on a barren draw at full time, leading the match to a penalty shootout.

At the same time, Agenga Girls won the girls’ title after thrashing Awendo Queens 6-0. 

Selphar Lugaye scored a hat-trick, while Eunice Akinyi netted a brace with Christine Akeyo adding the other goal.

The winning teams in both the boys’ and girls’ categories each took home KES 75,000, while the runners-up each received KES 30,000. 

Top scorers and the Best Goalkeepers from both the boys’ and girls’ teams each received KES 10,000, with the Most Valuable Players (MVP) taking home KES 10,000, plus an additional TVET scholarship to pursue a course of their choice, courtesy of Safaricom and M-PESA Foundations.

Inter County Playoffs

All twelve county winners (six boys' teams and six girls' teams) from the six counties of the Nyanza region will participate in the inter-county playoffs scheduled for next week. 

Eight teams (four boys' and four girls' teams) will then proceed to the regional finals, which are set for September 30th to October 1st in Kisumu.