FEASSSA Games: Last coach to deliver Kenya a football title explains what it will take to win again

Barding High School remains the last Kenyan boys’ football team to win the Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSSA) title.

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The milestone came during the 2016 edition of the games, hosted in Eldoret, where Kenya dominated to retain the overall crown in style.

The country also finished on the podium in seven other sports, with netball standing out as the only discipline that remained elusive.

In football, the title had slipped away since 2002, but coach George Owoko and his Barding squad brought it back home.

Their 1-0 victory over Uganda’s St Mary’s Kitende in the boys’ final was the highlight of the championship, ending Uganda’s long dominance.

Coming off the bench for Trevor Omondi in the 48th minute, James Ochieng turned into the hero with a memorable 77th-minute strike that lifted Kenya back to regional football glory.

Since then, Kenya has managed to win the overall FEASSSA title again in 2018 but has never come close to regaining the football crown.

Amus College coach Owoko, who masterminded that 2016 triumph, believes Kenya must put its house in order to reclaim the title.

“The challenge is about preparations. You see, everything is all about early preparations and using the right players,” Owoko told Mozzart Sport.

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He stressed the need for consistency in squads to achieve success.

“The challenge our teams face is mixing players. There is no consistency. Today you have ten new players, next week you bring in five more.

There is no harmony and team chemistry. You can’t prepare a new team in two weeks and expect to win,” added the former St Mary’s Kitende student.

Owoko, who also guided St Antony’s Boys Kitale to the 2018 Copa Coca-Cola title, noted that success is a collective responsibility shared between players, coaches, and schools.

“For us to win in 2016, it took Principal Makanda’s personal support. He used his own money to fund us.

We had a very nice camp in Uganda, where we stayed for two weeks, playing good friendlies against strong teams. In Kenya, we still don’t treat football as something that can transform boys’ lives,” he said.

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The former Bandari assistant coach also challenged schools to hire highly qualified coaches, pointing to Uganda as an example where national-level tacticians are entrusted with school teams while teachers undergo coaching classes.

“Schools need to bring in people who understand scouting, managing, and developing talent. That’s the only way to compete at this level,” he said.

As the 2025 FEASSSA Games enter day five, Kenyan teams will be hoping to keep their chances alive.

Butere Boys, Musingu High, Agai High School, and St Joseph’s Boys Kitale are still in contention to advance from the group stages.