▪️Another jaw-dropping showdown between Robert Okaka aka Man Man Ngori and Humphrey “Jakababa” Ochieng. Caleb Wandera joins Police hoping to secure a job to stabilize financially
▪️KDF recruit Kibra’s international flyweight Sheila Auma, national champion Diouf Muimi and Faith Nafuna all of whom represented Kenya in Africa Zone 3 Championships
▪️Nairobi, Kisumu and Siaya missing in action owing to lack of funds yet the three counties have enough money to support their boxing teams
06/11/2025
Boxing action moves to Nanyuki from today, November 6, 2025, in the 4th leg of the Kenya National Boxing League.
The three-day league, to be held at the Nanyuki Social Hall, promises to be a spectacular display of skill, passion and raw power.
Bring in the rivalry between defending champions KDF and Police you have an absolute cracker. It’s a boxing feast for Nanyuki fans who are expected to pack the social hall to watch some of the national team medallists in the Africa Zone 3 Championships.
Caleb Wandera, Nakuru’s face of boxing, has quit Flamingo and joined Kenya Police with Kibra’s international heavyweight John Oyugi also moving to Police popularly known as Chafua Chafua.
Wandera and Oyugi will make their debut for the cops in the 4th leg of the Kenya National Boxing League in Nanyuki to feature 56 male and three female boxers from 10 clubs.
Police will miss the services of their regular flyweight Diouf “Bashday” Muimi who has landed a job at KDF together with Kibra’s Sheila Auma and Githurai Thailand’s Faith Nafuna all of whom represented the national team in the recent Africa Zone 3 Championships in Nairobi.
Diouf and Nafuna skipped Zone 3 finals because that’s when they were needed at KDF. Obviously employment outweighed their participation in the finals. They settled for silver medals while Wandera, making his debut for the national team, won a bronze medal following his loss to DR Congo’s Njibu Njibu in the semi-finals.
Africa Zone 3 bronze medallist Wiseman Kavondo is reportedly being recruited by Police but the deal has yet to be sealed.
With the absence of Muimi, Police will have to recruit his replacement.
Coach James Wasao told boxersworld.co.ke they have already identified flyweight Peter Wanjohi to represent them in Nanyuki.
Wasao, a former international, has fired a warning shot to rivals KDF to prepare themselves for a pitched battle.
“We’re here for them they should expect stiff competition from Chafua Chafua,” said Wasao, heavyweight gold medallist in 2005 Zone Five Championships in Nairobi.
Wasao’ s hitmen are led by Africa light-middleweight champion Boniface “The Hammer” Mogunde ably assisted by Africa Zone 3 minimumweight champion Silus Onyango, 2024 Africa Championships bronze medallist Shaffi Bakari, Mbotela diehard Ethan Maina, Zone 3 bronze medallist Caleb Wandera , evergreen “msee wa ndechu” Joseph Shigali, George Cosby, battle-hardened Zone 3 silver medallist Humphrey “Jakababa” Ochieng, heavyweight John Oyugi and Zone 3 super-heavyweight bronze medallist Clinton Macharia.
Defending champions KDF are also fully armed. In their armoury they have Africa Military Games flyweight and bantamweight gold medallists Kelvin “Young” Maina and Dennis Muthama, Zone 3 quarter-finalist Washington Wandera, Zone 3 silver medallist Alvin “Liwalo Liwe” Oduor, African Games middleweight champion Edwin Okong’o, twice Africa Championships bronze medallist Robert Okaka aka Man Man Ngori and Zone 3 silver medallist Peter “The Beast” Abuti.
Topping the bill is the potentially enthralling fifth fight between Okaka and Jakaba. The KDF soldier has defeated Jakababa four times in a row but the courageous Police boxer is unshaken by the four defeats.
“I’m fighting on I know nothing lasts forever,” said Jakababa while Okaka feels the cop has now become his regular customer.
“This time if he’s not careful I’ll stop him, I’m fit and fresh,” said the Jericho Boxing Club product.
In their fourth fight at Nakuru’s Madison Square Garden, Okaka was so dominant, subjecting Jakababa to two standing counts in the first and third rounds enroute to a unanimous points victory.
Other thrilling encounters is the bantamweight rematch between Shaffi Bakari and Dennis Muthama, the third light-middleweight encounter pitting Boniface Mogunde and omena addict Alvin Oduor and middleweight ninth fight featuring Edwin Okong’o and George Cosby of Police. Okong’o has so far beaten Cosby six times and lost twice to the cop who started boxing in 2015 in Kisumu under coach Lawrence Jaiko, a former international.
The 10 clubs in Nanyuki are KDF, Police, Prisons, Laikipia, G44, Mbaraki, Kibra, Nakuru ABC, Kongowea and Nakuru County.
Newly-crowned Zone 3 champions Veronica “Pioneer” Mbithe, Friza “The Smiling Assasin” Asiko both of KDF and Amina Martha are the only three women in Nanyuki but will now have to be spectators because they have no opponents.
Missing in action are Nairobi, Kisumu and Siaya plus several other clubs owing to financial constraints.
Kisumu County head coach Vincent Odongo said among some of the Nanyuki-bound boxers were sensational novices and intermediate champion Sonia Atieno who was to use the fourth leg as a build-up for the Africa Youth Games in Angola in December.
“The boxers are so disappointed, it’s really painful even to the coaches we train so hard but the Kisimu County cannot support us,” said an angry Odongo.
“We can even use the county bus and get money to fill the tank, Kisumu is coming up very well but with no support it’s so difficult to take part in the league.”
Odongo is grateful for the support they have received from Kisumu head Anthony “Jamal” Otieno who is also the President of the Boxing Federation of Kenya.
“Jamal has really helped us financially much as he has other national responsibilities. However one man alone cannot do everything. The government should help Jamal to get sponsors for the league.”
Equally disappointed is Siaya coach Joseph “D4” Ochieng. He also blames the county for not funding them yet Siaya is the home of boxing in Western Kenya, producing some of Kenya’s top boxers such as the late James “Demosh” Omondi.
“We spend a lot of our time in the gym only to be told there’s no money for boxing. They only spend on football for political gain.”
Prisons, once a boxing powerhouse in Kenya, seems to be doing better since chairman Kibunja Nderu became the chairman of the club.
“We have our team in Nanyuki ready to battle, I’m very grateful for the support we’re getting from the management” said Kibunja, son of a former international star boxer John Nderu.
Prisons will however be without their three internationals, Aloice Vincent, Jane Wangari and Mwinyi Kombo owing to unavoidable circumstances.
Among the Prisons boxers in Nanyuki are flyweight Moses Kilavuka, bantamweight Chris Musyoki, light-welterweight Riziki Francis and welterweight Anthony Maina. This year Prisons have recruited three boxers, Aloice Vincent, Jane Wangari and light-flyweight Eric Mwangi.
Prisons are in joint sixth position with Kibra having 13 points each on the league table.
Police are still on top with 57 points followed by KDF 44 and third-placed Nairobi 17.
