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Chuka University Scorpions emerged victorious as the Safaricom Eastern Region champions following a thrilling finale at Kinoru Stadium in Meru County on December 10, 2023. In an intense showdown against The Predators from Embu County, the Scorpions secured their title with a 4-2 victory in post-match penalties, showcasing their resilience in a fiercely contested match.
The Scorpions seized an early lead in the 9th minute when Joseph John delivered a spectacular strike. However, Josphat Kimanzi of the Predators responded with an equalizer in the 52nd minute, setting the stage for a penalty shootout to determine the ultimate winner.
Chuka University Head coach Sean Opwora expressed his delight at the Scorpions’ triumph, marking their debut in the Chapa Dimba tournament. Opwora commended his team’s performance, especially in penalty shootouts, a skill that proved crucial in both the semifinals and the gripping final. “We are thrilled to emerge as the winners of the Chapa Dimba Eastern regional finals. This is our first time participating in the Chapa Dimba tournament, and winning it is something we take great pride in. The game was challenging; we did not anticipate going to penalties, but once again, we performed well in the penalty shootout, having also qualified in yesterday’s semifinals through penalties,” said Opwora.
In the women’s category, Syomunyu Secondary School secured a 1-0 victory over Chuka University Starlets in a nail-biting encounter to claim the regional title. Chuka Starlets made valiant efforts to equalize, but Weddy Ndereba’s shots hitting the crossbar twice dashed their hopes. Remarkably, this marked the second time Chuka Starlets reached the finals without clinching the title. For their remarkable achievement, the Scorpions received a cash prize of Sh. 250,000 and earned the opportunity to represent the Eastern region in the National finals scheduled for 2024. The runners-up, Chuka University Starlets, were awarded Sh. 150,000. Individual players were also recognized, with the Most Valuable Player (MVP), Best Goalkeeper, and Top Scorer (both boys and girls) each receiving Sh. 30,000.
In addition to the monetary rewards, each player from the winning team was presented with a Neon Ultra phone, while the runners-up received Neon Smarter Phones. The annual Chapa Dimba tournament serves as a structured platform for scouts and coaches to discover new talent and establish feeder systems for Kenyan football leagues nationwide. The tournament, targeting footballers aged between 16 and 20 years old, also aims to train a total of 250 coaches, contributing to the development of football at the grassroots level.
Both teams were led to a beautiful homecoming led by the office of the dean of students Dr. Benjamin Kanga. Dr. Kanga praised the teams for their relentless focus to clinch the coveted titles. He expressed the University’s commitment to support and nurture talent through sports activities. Well done both Scorpions and Scarlets for flying the Chuka University flag high.
