The much-anticipated fixtures for the fourth edition of the Safaricom Chapa Dimba national finals have been officially released following today’s draw, held at the Michael Joseph Center (MJC), Safaricom Headquarters in Nairobi.
Scheduled to take place from Thursday, April 11 to Sunday, April 14, at the Kenyatta Stadium and Moi Stadium in Kisumu County, the competition will feature sixteen teams, including eight boys’ and eight girls’ teams.
Chris Amimo, the Chapa Dimba tournament director, expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming event, highlighting its significance within Kenya’s sports calendar. He noted the exceptional participation of over 3,300 teams from grassroots levels, showcasing remarkable talents that have already made their mark in the National U-20 and Premier League teams.
The games will kick off at the quarter-finals stage, with matches to be played at two different pitches – Mamboleo Stadium and Moi Stadium. In the boys’ category, hosts Obunga FC will face Lysa FC from the Central region, while Bandari Youth from the Coast region will take on Wajir All-stars from the North Eastern region.
Meanwhile, in the girls’ category, hosts Plateau Queens, also known as Nyakach Girls and season 1 champions, will compete against Changamwe Ladies from the Coast region.
Brenda Girls from the Western region will clash with Syomunyu Secondary, and Dagoretti Mixed from Nairobi will challenge Wiyeta Girls of Rift Valley. Barcelona Ladies SC from the Central region will meet Wajir Queens from the North Eastern region.
Following the quarterfinals, attention will shift to the Kenyatta Stadium for the thrilling semifinals, scheduled to be played on Friday and Saturday, with the finals set to take place on Sunday at Mamboleo Stadium.
Lucille Aveva, Director of Customer Obsession at Safaricom, emphasized the broader significance of the Chapa Dimba tournament beyond football. She highlighted Safaricom’s investment of over Sh. 400 million in the tournament this season, viewing it as an investment in Kenya’s future, where every young person can dare to dream and achieve their aspirations.
Aveva underscored the tournament’s role as a platform for community engagement, including health and socio-economic empowerment initiatives. This season alone, over 4,000 vendors have benefited from Digital Financial Literacy training, while medical camps have provided assistance to over 20,000 individuals across the eight regions.
The national finals follow a successful series of grassroots games conducted across the country’s eight regions, involving 3,353 teams and over 60,300 players in total.
