Felix Lemantile a footballer from Samburu
When we mention Samburu County, what rings a bell in most of our minds is born free film, camel racing, breathtaking tourism, and colorful culture. This story is not about the born free film. The story is neither about camel racing nor is it about breathtaking tourism.
The story is not about the colorful cultures but it is about the plight of sports in Samburu County. Like other Counties in the County, Samburu houses sporting activities such as football, basketball, volleyball, and cricket. Football is the most popular sport in Samburu County.
The United Nations has 193 members while FIFA the football governing body has 211 members. This justifies the popularity of football as a game in the world. The scenario is no different in Samburu. Some of the popular football teams in Samburu include Pirates FC, Paradise FC, Nabore FC, All Stars FC, Ndoto Warriors, and FC South Horr just but a few to mention.
Sports in Samburu are embraced in schools such as Waso Boys, Wamba Boys, Kirisia High School, and Maralal High School. Sports in Samburu face challenges such as poor sporting infrastructure such as stadiums and quality playing fields. Ball games such as rugby, handball, and athletics are not given attention at all. There is only one stadium in the County. Women’s sports are not embraced well.
The Eastern Newspaper interviewed Felix Lemantile a football player from Samburu on the challenges facing sports in Samburu County and he had this to say “Communal conflicts pose a threat to the growth and development of the game. Like in many pastoralists Communities in Northern Kenya there are a number of factors that contribute to inter-communal conflicts between the Samburu and the Gabra communities.” He adds that “Sports is the best tool that is used to promote peace in the County.” Felix Lemantile aka “Fighter” because of his aggressiveness on the soccer pitch when he was a student at KeMU graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance option and is currently studying his Master’s degree in the same institution.
