Kenya Under-20 team gears up for World Lacrosse Championship

When Victory Akinyi made it to the girls’ Under-19 National Lacrosse team in 2019, she aimed to fly the Kenyan flag high at the World Under-19 championship in Toronto, Canada.

While Akinyi then a Form Four student at Moi Girls High School Eldoret was content with representing Kenya on the global stage, fate had her future figured out with the sport being the avenue that would lead her to her destiny.

She was outstanding at the tournament catching the eyes of international coaches and scouts which would see her become the first African Lacrosse player to secure a sports scholarship in the US. In May this year, Akinyi graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering from Utah Valley College.

Akinyi is just one among hundreds of players, most of whom come from humble backgrounds and have had their lives transformed through the sport. Launched in Mukuru Slums in 2014 through outreach by international volunteers, the sport, which initially started in 2008 in Mumias, Kakamega County, has restored hope for underprivileged children who would have otherwise lost hope for a better future.

Senior National team player Doreen Indasi who is in her final year of study at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) is also a beneficiary.

“I have greatly benefitted from lacrosse because my university fee is fully paid through the sport by well-wishers,” said Indasi, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Technology in Tourism and Travel Management. 

The Under-20 Men’s National team players who are currently training for the upcoming World Lacrosse Under-20 Championship set for August 15 to 24 in Jeju, South Korea are full of expectations.

They are optimistic that just like Akinyi, Indasi and Reagan Ochan, a Ugandan player who was sponsored by Storm Trentham, a lacrosse heroine in Kenya will also get a chance to showcase their talent and get well-wishers to support their academic dreams. Ochan is currently a professional player in the US.

Team coach Remmy Joshua said that despite the challenges they are facing, the players who are training at Musingu High School in Kakamega are working very hard to ensure that they are ready for the championship.

“We are working very hard and the team is committed to this course. We want to be in great form before the competition. We are hoping that we will get government support like other teams because even as it is we are not properly kitted like other national teams,” Joshua said.

However, the team faces financial difficulties that could stop them from honouring the competition.

Kenya Lacrosse Association (KLA) Patron Linda Mwende called on the government as well as corporations to support the team as well as the growth of the sport in the country.

“For most of these players, lacrosse is not just a sport but survival. They have hopes for a better future, they fight on despite facing challenges due to poverty with the belief that they can change their fortunes through the sport,” Mwende said.

She added that having depended on the kindness of a single donor for years, there is a need for the government to support the sport.

“We have been depending on the generosity of our main donor coach Peter Ginnegar who has since depleted his savings to keep the sport running and giving hope to the children who would have turned to vices such as drug abuse but have found solace in lacrosse,” she added.

Mwende underscored that they could achieve more with government support.

“We have been able to transform lives with help from a single donor and so I believe that the sport has the potential of changing more lives. We have been fundraising to keep our players in school and with the support of the government and corporate sponsors we will be able to reach more under-privileged children and change their lives,” she added.

She revealed that KLA needs Sh16 million for the Under-20 trip urging the government through the Ministry of Sports to support. KLA presented its budget to the ministry and were told to wait for feedback on the same. Kenya is in Group E alongside Germany, Puerto Rico and Chinese Taipei.