Kenya men’s Kabaddi team face South Sudan in the semi-final of the ongoing Africa Kabaddi Championship at Kasarani on Saturday.
Kenya finished at the top of their pool with a perfect score of 10 points from five matches. Nine countries are competing in this year’s tournament which was first staged in 2020.
Kenya won the event last year while Uganda were runners-up. Apart from Kenya and Uganda, other teams in the race are Tanzania, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC Congo, Malawi, Zambia and Zanzibar, who are making their debut in the championship.
In the lead-up to the semi-finals, Kenya's captain Daniel Omondi expressed confidence in his team’s readiness.
"Despite being placed in a tough pool for this year's tournament, it hasn't been too challenging. We won all our matches and now look forward to winning the semi-final," he remarked.
On his part, Kenya Kabaddi Union team manager, Mudaspack Otieno said: "I am happy we are through with the group stages and we are looking forward to semis and finals."
Otieno said Kenyans are on another level and tipped them to dominate the event. "We have a strong team and I don't think the rest of Africa can match us."
He added: "The semi-final clash against South Sudan promises to be a thriller as we seek to secure a spot in the final and add another title to our collection," Otieno said.
Kenyan players Samuel Wafula and James Kamwiti said the pool matches have prepared them well for the knockout stage. "Our target is to defend our title and I am sure we will not disappoint," Kamwiti noted.
Kenya finished runners-up in the fourth edition of the Bangabandhu Kabaddi Cup 2024 in Mirpur, Bangladesh a month ago. The team, under the tutelage of Laventer Ogutu, were also runners-up in both the 2021 and 2022 editions.
