Ten Kenyan schools and clubs have landed an invite for the Heartfelt Genocide Memorial swimming championship slated for April 16 in Kigali, Rwanda.
They include high-flying Umoja Sharks, Porterhouse School, Juja Preparatory, St. Christopher, Blue Marlin Swim Club, Premier Swim Club, Nyahururu Elite School, Lukenya Academy, Seahorses Aquatic Club and M-Pesa Foundation Academy.
They will be up against schools and teams from hosts Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia among other nations.
The one-day event is used to remember the tragic events of the horrors of the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda.
Private and International School Sports Association (PIPSA) organizing secretary, Damaris Muthoni, said the Kenyan teams will use the next three months to get into good shape for the event.
“Our swimming clubs and schools will be in action in various championships to prepare for the event and I am confident they will send the best swimmers for the Rwanda gala,” noted Muthoni.
She said some of the swimmers graced the East African Chipukizi Championship in Arusha in December and will be seeking to replicate the performance in Rwanda.
“Some of the swimmers attended the and posted impressive results In Tanzania last month and I'm sure we will see the same in Rwanda in April."
Muthoni said the association was keen to grace other regional championships especially, after a highly successful event in Uganda last year where they finished second.
“ We are looking for partnerships with various schools in Tanzania and across the region so that our swimmers can compete and interact with their peers from the countries," she noted.
Kenya Aquatics' vice chairman Stanley Kaberu said one of the objectives of the federation was to enhance partnerships across the region.
"We are working together with our neighbours to see how we cooperate and raise the standards of the sports in the region and be a powerhouse in the region,” said Kaberu.
