By Reporter
The much-anticipated 4th edition of the Dola Supercup is set to kick off in Lamu, with 12 teams registered to compete in the football tournament.
The matches will be held at Mokowe Primary, Mokowe Secondary, and Striker playgrounds respectively, attracting teams from across the region, including those from the border town of Kiunga and Witu Ward.
The primary goal of the tournament is to scout for local talent and assemble a county team to represent Lamu in the forthcoming regional Dola Supercup edition, which will be held in Mombasa later this year.
Speaking in Lamu today, Saddam Suleiman, the Dola Supercup coordinator and marketing officer, emphasized the importance of the tournament in identifying and nurturing football talent, particularly in marginalized areas such as Boni, Milimani Barsuba, and Kiangwe.
“Our aim is to help the youth realize their sporting potential and deter them from joining proscribed groups such as Al-Shabaab,” said Hussein.
Lamu County Sports Chairperson Bonaya Ziloti highlighted the need for improved local sporting infrastructure, noting that the county lacks a FIFA-standard stadium.
Despite the county’s immense potential in sports like football and swimming, the Lamu County government allocated only Kshs 18 million towards sports development in the 2023/2024 financial budget.
Concerns were raised regarding the misappropriation of funds in Lamu Island, where Kshs 7 million and Kshs 8 million were mismanaged in the construction of the Twaif playground and Lamu boys’ seven-a-side football turf, respectively.
Ziloti emphasized the necessity for collaboration between the county and national governments to nurture sporting talent by providing youths with quality stadiums.
“Most of the talent comes from family backgrounds where they can hardly afford money for sports shoes,” he explained.
The CEC in charge of Education Sports, Youth, and Culture echoed the sentiment, stressing the importance of partnerships with sponsors to overcome logistical challenges and facilitate more tournaments.
“Given the recent move to implement austerity measures right from the national government down to the county levels, budget cuts are likely to affect sports development in the county,” he warned, urging more sponsors to support the initiative.
