GUNS UNCORKED, WAR IS INEVITABLE AS 22 INTERNATIONAL BOXERS LEAD KENYA’S ONSLAUGHT
▪️ Three of them Liz Andiego, Lorna Kusa and Shaffi Bakari are the longest-serving national team members armed with wealth of experience to destroy the enemy
▪️ Finals brought forward to Friday, October 24 owing to unavoidable circumstances
The die is cast. Guns have been uncorked. War looms large as Kenyan boxers dig trenches in readiness for a fierce exchange of fire. There’s no retreat no surrender until they emerge victorious.
National team head coach Musa Benjamin has named 35 boxers – 23 men and 12 women – to trade leather in the Africa Zone 3 Boxing Championships whose finals will now take place on Friday, October 24 and not Saturday, October 25 because the Kasarani Indoor Arena had been booked for another function.
For the avid boxing fans and sports followers in general, your “Members Day” on October 24 starts at Kasarani to cheer the boxers to victory before you engage in throat irrigation.
To inspire these sons and daughters of Kenya who will shed blood, sustain cuts and bruises fighting for their nation, incentives such as the ones offered to the Kenyan footballers in the CHAN Championships will be a big morale booster. In any case boxing is Kenya’s most successful sport after athletics at the big stage with seven Olympic medals in the bag.
The Kenyan boxers have proved their might in the Zone 3 tournament first held in 2019 in Gabon.
In the second edition held in 2021 in Kinshasa, Kenya amassed 13 medals – one gold by heavyweight Elly Ajowi, five silver and seven bronze medals.
The third edition of Zone 3 Championships in 2022 – again held in Kinshasa – saw the Kenyan boxers firing in all cylinders winning a record 18 medals – six gold, five silver and seven bronzes to make a big statement on their intention to emulate the legendary boxers of yesteryear.
What was more inspiring in the remarkable success in Kinshasa is that three boxers inscribed their names in the annals of Kenya’s boxing history by winning the first ever gold medals by female pugilists at a major international tournament.
Light-welterweight Teresiah Wanjiru, welterweight Everline Akinyi and the doyen of female boxing in East Africa Liz Andiego won the three gold medals with flyweight David Karanja, bantamweight Shaffi Bakari and featherweight Samuel Njau winning the other three gold medals.
The evergreen Andiego, who is the captain of Kenya’s team, is at it again leading from the front among the 22 internationals and 13 debutants in the Kenya team.
Andiego, unbeaten locally for 15 years with a total of seven medals she has won for Kenya, is one of the three longest-serving internationals in the Zone 3 team. The others are light-heavyweight Lorna Kusa and Mombasa-bred Shaffi Bakari who made his international debut at the 2017 African Men’s and Women’s Championships in Congo Brazzaville winning a bronze medal.
This is Shaffi’s eighth year in the national team while warhorse Andiego and Kusa made their international debut in the 2010 Women’s World Championships in Barbados.
They bring on board a wealth of experience and knowledge to inspire their comrades successfully tackle their opponents in what promises to be a keenly contested boxing tournament.
Twelve countries among them defending champions DR Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Ethiopia, Gabon and Central African Republic have confirmed participation.
In addition to Liz Andiego, Lorna Kusa and Shaffi Bakari, the other international boxers in the Kenya team are minimumweights Silas Onyango and Africa Championships bronze medallist Abednego Kyalo, lightweight Ethan Maina, light-welterweight Aloice Vincent, welterweight Joseph Shigali, reigning Africa light-middleweight champion Boniface “The Hammer” Mogunde, African Games middleweight gold medallist Edwin Okong’o, 2019 African Games bronze medallist Cosby Ouma, light-heavyweight Humphrey “Jakababa” Ochieng, cruiserweight Chris Ochanda, heavyweight Peter “The Beast” Abuti, African Championships silver medallist Clinton Macharia, light-flyweight Lencer Akinyi, flyweights, African Military Games silver medallist Veronica “Pioneer’ Mbithe and Faith Nafuna, African Games bantamweight bronze medallist Amina Martha Faki, lightweight Emily “Ring Princess” Juma, light-welterweight Cynthia Mwai and welterweight Friza Anyango.
The 13 boxers making their debut for the national team include lightweight Sylvia Obwamu who was erroneously omitted in the earlier list. African Military Games flyweight champion Kelvin Maina and lightweight Washington Wandera are not new to big-time boxing having fought for KDF in several international tournaments including the 2021 World Military Games in Russia and inter-cities tournaments. Others making their debut for the national team are minimumweight Jane Wangare, bantamweight Sheila Auma, flyweight Diouf Muimi, bantamweight Emmanuel Chondo, featherweights Mwinyi Kombo and Paul Omondi, light-welterweight Caleb Wandera, welterweight Wiseman Kavondo, light-middleweight Alvin Oduor and heavyweight John Oyugi.
Head coach Musa Benjamin, his deputy David Munuhe and John Waweru have been with the national team since 2019, and as former boxers know the pain of a punch. So are the trainers John “Chea Omondi, Julius Theuri and James Wasao, the latter two being former internationals with Wasao winning a gold medal and captaining Kenya’s team to victory in the 2005 Zone Five Championships held at the Kasarani Indoor Arena.
The 35 boxers to represent Kenya in the Africa Zone 3 Championships
MEN
Minimumweight(48kg)
Silas Onyango Abednego kyalo
Flyweight(51kg)
Diouf Muimi
Kelvin Maina
Bantamweight(54kg)
Shaffi Bakari Emmanuel Chondo
Featherweight(57kg)
Paul Omondi Mwinyi Kombo
Lightweight(60kg)
Washington Wandera
Ethan Maina
Light-welterweight(63.5kg)
Aloice Vincent Caleb Wandera
Welterweight (67kg)
Joseph Shighali Wiseman Kavondo
Light-middleweight(71kg)
Boniface Mogunde
Alvin Oduor
Middleweight(75kg)
Edwin Okon’go
Cosby Ouma
Light-heavyweight (80kg)
Humphrey Ochieng
Cruiserweight(86kg)
Chris Ochanda
Heavyweight (92kg)
Peter Abuti
John Oyugi
Super-heavyweight (92+)
Clinton Macharia
WOMEN
Minimumweight (48kg)
Jane Wangari
Light-flyweight(50kg)
Lencer Akinyi
Flyweight (52Kg)
Veronica Mbithe
Faith Nafuna
Bantamweight (54kg)
Amina Martha
Sheila Auma
Lightweight (60kg)
Emilly Juma
Sylvia Obwamu
Light-welterweight(63.5kg)
Cynthia Mwai
Welterweight(66kg)
Friza Anyango
Middleweight (75 kg)
Liz Andiego
Light-heavyweight (81kg)
Lorna Kusa
COACHES
Benjamin Musa
David Munuhe
John Waweru
TRAINERS
Julius Theuri
John ‘Chea’ Omondi
James Wasao
DOCTOR
Dr.Julius Ogeto
PHYSIOS
Sospeter Kinuthia
Justus Mutinda Kyalo
Photo designs by Duncan Kuria aka Sugar Ray
