WASCO Games-11th Edition

WASCO GAMES 11th EDITION-KISUMU CHAPTER HPR

Photo/file: Guests during the opening ceremony

The company hosted the 11th Edition of the Water Companies Sports Organizations (WASCO) games 2022. This was the first time to host the games, and this came after the company had barely celebrated 2 years since joining the sports organization.

Kisumu is a big name! Kisumu is capable! we know you can do it!

Those were some of the comments the WASCO officials said when they first broke the news that Kisumu County will host the games. But the Managing Director, being a highflier embraced this decision and responded that KIWASCO is upto task, we will host the games, and we shall do it very well such that it will be remembered for eons to come. The games took place between April 17th to 22nd in venues spread across the City.

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony was held at Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Mamboleo. The venue was selected due to its magnificence, capacity and the serene location. It was expected that Hon. Raila Odinga would be the chief guest, but unfortunately, he did not turn up. Instead, the CS for Devolution Hon. Eugene Wamalwa graced the occasion. He was joined by the Deputy Governor, County Government of Kisumu Dr. Mathew Owili.

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Speaking during the opening ceremony, the MD Mr. Thomas Odongo expressed his pleasure in having KIWASCO host the games. He went ahead to wish all the players success and requested for fairness, objectivity, openness .

Photo/file: Procession during the opening ceremony

towards officiating of the games and from the participating teams Board Chairman, Mr. Vinod Patel on the other hand, expressed satisfaction in Kisumu City being the host and went ahead to say, “as a business man in the City, I know this event is going to shake up the economy of Kisumu as most of the hotels are already booked. I want to take this opportunity to invite our guests to explore the magical sites in the County and also try out various traditional dishes available,” he concluded.

The football team played their maiden match during the opening ceremony against Embu water. They beat Embu 5-1 at the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium. The goals by Awuonda, Peter Omollo, Willis Ochieng and Okomo Tony (2), gave them team a good start and a hope of clinching the coveted trophy.

Team captain, Tony Okomo was happy with the performance. He expressed contentment in the preparation of the team and he had no doubt that the team was in good shape to play. “The game went according to my expectations,” he remarked.

The team manager, Kevin Obat lauded the team for the sterling performance and expressed confidence in the team achieving better performance in the subsequent matches.

The games

The teams put up a spirited fight all through the games, but the teams which emerged the top were;

Netball – position 1 Choir (folk song) – position 1 Golf (director) – position 1 Golf (MD) – 1st runners up

Overall, the company was ranked the 2

nd

runners up in the games.

Photo/file: Kiwasco Netball ladies praying ahead of a match.

Photo/file: Kiwasco and Embu football teams playoff during the opening the ceremony Photo/file: Kiwasco Netball ladies compete against Thika Netball ladies .

The company sponsored teams of football, volleyball men, netball, ajua, darts, chess, badminton, table tennis, golf, pool, folk song and folk dance. This year saw increased participation from staff members and brought about diversity such that atleast everyone would have something to choose from, unlike in Embu whereby only 3 teams participated. This time round the teams were also more prepared to handle the task ahead since they had already had a feel of the games.

Photo/file: Chairman B.o.D Mr. Vinod giving his speech

Having been given 2 hours off from work (3pm to 5pm) to practice was also a boost to the teams as they had more time dedicated to sharpen their skills and to keep fit.

Cheering squad brought pomp and color

Photo/file: Kiwasco cheering squad vibing to their tunes during the games.

They were loud, they were colorful, they energetic, they had stamina…I just can’t stop describing them. The cheerleading team spiced the games and eventually stole the show with their theatric performance. Right from the opening ceremony in Mamboleo, the squad led other staff members through the procession .that started from Mamboleo roundabout, all through the match pass at the stadium where the dignitaries were seated until when the football team thrashed Embu water.

They continued with their gig all through the week, not relenting even when a team lost. Instead, they would shout louder, giving them the motivation they required. When a game would end without a win, they would celebrate the defeat together