Nakuru has been described as a sports hub by many. However, basketball lovers argue that this is a biased view.

Mtaa Wangu spoke to John Kamau, a senior basketball referee to understand the state of this sport in the county.

Mr Kamau reveals that unknown to many, Nakuru has been a breeding ground for some of the country’s best basketball talent.

Ariel Okal and his sister Felmas Koranga who is on the road to becoming a professional Women’s National Basketball Association Player (WNBA), are two of the residents who have been bred from the Basketball court in Menengai high school to the international stages.

He notes that while the County has been keen to rehabilitate and construct stadiums for football and athletic games, no efforts has been put into the construction of a public basketball court.

In fact, Mr Kamau says only Menengai high school allows the local teams to hold tournaments on their court during the weekends.

The basketball court at Mennegai High School.

Photo credit: BRET SANYA/MTAA WANGU

According to Menengai’s basketball coach Richard Kanda, over the years he has seen a lot of talent in Nakuru, but the players eventually get called up to the major leagues in Nairobi.

“All we do here is nurture talent. Since there are no structures for competitive basketball in Nakuru, the great players always end up in Nairobi,” he laments.

In an attempt to change this narrative, Fred Ogola, and other members of the Nakuru Universities Colleges League, actively set up a tournament targeting basketball teams in colleges and universities.

The league has held successful competitions with the recent one being a highly spirited game between Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology (RVIST) and Kabarak University.

Mr Ogola throws in an interesting twist, saying the little awareness and support of basketball in Nakuru could be attributed to its larger rural population.

He however says with the urban population growing, he hopes more and more people will be interested in the game.

Peter Odhiambo, a Kenya Basketball Federation official says although the organisation is willing to bring more games, they cannot do so as Nakuru lacks the infrastructure to support such tournaments.

“The only people willing to give us a court is Menengai High School and since the games are within a school, there are many prohibitions for both the players and fans who would want to access the premises,” Mr Odhiambo states.

Unfortunately for lovers of the sport, they may have to wait longer to see a public basketball court.

A source in the county sports department revealed to Mtaa Wangu that a basketball court will not be included in phase one of the rehabilitated Afraha stadium.

sanyabret@gmail.com

Why Basketball remains a neglected sport in Nakuru

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Bret Sanya