Winners of the inaugural Talanta Hela Under-19 tournament have something to smile about after receiving their cash awards.
The tournament started from the grassroots level in all the 47 counties with 16 teams- eight from each gender- qualifying for the national finals held in Nairobi in December last year.
In the boy’s category, Homa Bay County edged Kisumu 4-2 in an exhilarating final held at the Nyayo Stadium while Busia trounced Kisumu 2-1 to claim the girl’s title in the same venue.
All the participants from the top five in the tournament were due to receive cash prizes. The teams received their payments at the County Commissioners offices in Kisumu with the winners in both categories bagging each Ksh 5 million.
According to the Kenya Academy of Sports, the cash awards which were initially scheduled for prompt disbursement, the cash awards faced a slight delay with some players having failed to submit their bank accounts details in time.
Speaking after receiving the money, Busia County girl’s captain Lornah Faith Wasike was glad that they were finally reaping the fruits of their hard work. What wowed the captain the most was leading her team to victory in the inaugural tournament at only 16 years old to pocket Ksh160,000.
“I am very happy that today I am finally collecting my money. I want to thank CS Ababu Namwamba for making this happen. I will pay my school fees and help my younger brothers who are struggling at home.
“We hope to go one step further and retain our title this year,” Wasike told Citizen Digital.
At the same time, the Kenya Academy of Sports has revealed that plans are underway to make the second edition of the tournament more vibrant with a possible inclusion of other disciplines.
