NAIROBI, Kenya, May 21 – Gor Mahia and Harambee Stars creative midfielder Francis Kahata led Kits for Africa initiative at the Ruiru stadium, distributing football wear donated by SportPesa’s partner clubs in Europe to his homebase.
Kahata, who was raised in Ruiru, lauded the initiative adding that support for training gear will go a long way in boosting the morale of budding footballers who benefit from these donations.
“I appreciate Kits for Africa administrators for sharing the donations in Ruiru. I remember playing with no boots and sometime bare-chested as I was growing up here. This is a good way to motivate the young talents and I hope they will work hard in return,” said Kahata, who was recently named to the Kenyan National Football team for AFCON.
The Kits for Africa donations were distributed to 30 teams from Ruiru, 20 from Thika and 10 from Dandora.
The initiative launched three years ago encourages football players and fans to donate their old kit to sports-mad communities across Africa.
“Football in the neighborhood is faced by a lot of challenges. Some players give up mainly because they lack proper gear and opt to do other things instead,” added Posta Rangers player Simon Mbugua who also grew up in the same neighbourhood as Kahata.
Kahata used the event to drum up support for his club Gor Mahia ahead of Sunday’s Mashemeji Derby. He called on the Ruiru football fans to show up in large numbers to the match which will be held at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani from 4.15pm.
Earlier in the day, Coach William Muluya of Kariobangi Sharks helped distribute the Kits for Africa donations in Dandora. He said the initiative is a good way of nurtuting football talent from the early stages within the local neighborhoods and would help keep the youngsters focused.