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Korir stars as Kenya parliamentarians soar

Kenyan MPs after the 4x100m race which they won at Kigali’s Amahoro Stadium last weekend. From left David Ochieng (Ugenya), Dan Wanyama (Webuye), Isaac Melly (Senator Uasin Gishu) and Kanini Kega (Kieni). MARTIN MUTUA/ KENYA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

NAIROBI, December 16- Wesley Korir, the 2012 Boston Marathon champion and former national volleyball team head coach, Dan Wanyama combined to lift the joint National Assembly and Senate team of Kenya to the overall title as the East African Community Inter-Parliamentary Games folded in Kigali last weekend.

Uasin Gishu Senator Isaac Melly, an accomplished athlete in his own right also weighed in the effort that fired the Kenyans to victory with 112 points with hosts Rwanda and Uganda rounding the podium.

The games, held at both Kigali’s Amahoro Stadium and Nyamirambe Stadiums, saw the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) emerge fourth with 21 points.

In athletics, the strong Kenya team, led by Korir who collected a two gold and a silver individual medal haul in a Most Valuable Player performance, ran away with the 100m, 400m, 800m, 1500m as well as the 4x100m and 4x400m relays titles without breaking sweat.

Melly justified Uasin Gishu’s tag as the home of champions when he won the 100m race in an impressive 11.67 with Ugenya MP, David Ochieng (11.97) sealing the Kenyan 1-2 ahead of Rwanda’s Gatabazi J.M.V.

Webuye West MP Wanyama, a former Kenya national volleyball team captain and coach, won the 200m race in 24.79 to beat Uganda’s Tom Aza (26.44) and Rwanda’s Nyabeyenda Damien (27.34).

Machakos MP,Victor Munyaka beat a strong field, including Korir, who came in second, to bag the 400m title with 56.58 against 59.91 well ahead of Rwanda’s Tom Aza (1:02.82) who completed the podium at the Amahoro Stadium.

Korir, who is the Cherangany MP, then scaled the middle step of the rostrum in the two-lap race when he returned 2:19.00 for victory, leaving countryman Munyao (2:42.39) who edged out an intense battle for silver and Rwanda’s Ssemasaka Gabriel (2:42.58) in his slipstream.

The 2012 Boston winner then took his second gold and third medal of the competition when he showed Rwanda’s Nyabyenda Damien (5:49.03) a clean pair of heels for the 1500m title with Melly (6:39.44) coming home for bronze.

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The Kenyan quartet of Ochieng, Kieni MP, Kanini Kega and Wanyama and Melly romped to the 4x100m relay honours ahead of Uganda and Rwanda.

The Cherangany legislator then crowned his impressive outing with his fifth medal alongside Agostino Neto, Munyao and Munyaka when Kenya won the 4x400m relay in the same finishing order with the shorter baton race.

In football Kenya went down fighting, losing to Rwanda in the semi-finals on post-match penalties.

EALA went on to win the football title by beating Uganda while Rwanda took the third place by beating Kenya in the playoff.

Kenya, however, bagged the volleyball men’s title, golf, tug-of-war for both men and women while they were runners-up in women’s volleyball, netball and took third place in football.

-Women’s category-

Kenya and Rwanda MPs line up before their semi-final match of the East Africa Inter-Parliamentary Games at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali. Rwanda won the match on post-match penalties. Kenya won the overall title. PHOTO/Martin Mutua/ KENYA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

In the women’s category the Rwanda Parliament team won the 100m and 800m titles through Petronila Mkandekezi and Nyirahirwa Venerandema while Kenya’s Eusillah Ngeny, the Uasin Gishu women’s MP, came third.

In volleyball, Kenya, captained by Wanyama, beat hosts Rwanda in the final 2-0 in straight sets of identical 25-20 scores.

Others in the team included Melly, Arthur Odera, Leonard Sang, Davis Rotich and Stephen Kaako.

They had earlier beaten Rwanda and Uganda on their way to the finals.

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In the tug-of-war, both Kenya’s men and women MPs carried the day with the men beating Rwanda and EALA by 2-1 pulls.

The women won by beating EALA and Rwanda on two pulls.

In golf, a strong Kenyan team of Mathare MP Stephen Kariuki, Kega and Bernard Muriuki carried the title while EALA’s Kenyan MP Peter Mathuki won in his category.

Mathare MP Stephen Kariuki garnered 36 points to beat Kega and Limuru MP Kiragu Chege by single and two strokes.

In the individual categories, Kariuki carried  the day with 36 playing off handicap 12 followed by EALA’s handicap 28 Peter Mathuki of Kenya with 25 while Rwanda’s Mporanyi Theo came in third with 22, also playing off handicap 28.

In netball, Kenya lost in the final to a strong Uganda side who won the final 35-6.

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