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TALANTA HELA EXPOSES TONES OF TALENT BUT CHALLENGES REMAIN

 The just conclucled Talanta Hela football tournament - a national under-19 boys' and girls' football tournament organized by the Ministry of Sports and the National Talent Academy - has proven once again the undeniable wealth of talent and sporting brilliance that reside at the Kenya's grassroots. Homa Bay county emerged champions under the boys' category after beating Kisumu City 4 -2 in a thoroughly entertaining encounter played at Nyayo National Stadium on Tuesday 12th December, 2023. Homa Bay, with their trademark passing game and beautiful free-flowing football, proved to be a cut above the rest. Under the tutelage of one George Ouma Sonko, Homa Bay just had a spark of brilliance about them. Their talisman Cecil Miller proved a constant threat in front of goal with his trickery and movement. Cecil managed to score 7 goals in 5 games in the tournament, one short of the 8 that the tournament golden boot winner Austine Odongo of Vihiga County managed. So, what did we learn from the Talanta Hela tournament?

1. There is a lot of footballing talent in Kenya - Talenta Hela was meant to provide a platform for the unidentified talents to express themselves and this it did beyond expectations. One cannot look past Austine Odongo of Vihiga County for example, a boy with all the necessary tools to become one of Kenya's, if not Africa's, deadliest marksmen. Odongo scored an incredible 8 goals in just 4 games! In an interview he gave to Tawi-Tv after scoring 4 goals against West Pokot, he said, "What I know is that I cannot waste a chance...". With that amount of confidence, plus the skills he obviously has, just a little bit of good coaching is all he needs to turn out to be a world beater. Cecil Miller is no different. The Agoro Sare High School student demonstrated his pedigree as a reliable goal scorer. As far as effective substitutes go, Ben Ogutu of Homa Bay proved to be the real deal. The lad was always deployed in the dying minutes of the second half by his coach, but always came up with the goodies: great goals and assists. One cannot fail to mention coach George Sonko of Homa Bay County Under-19 boys' football team. One hell of a good coach! His team went down to an Edward Manoah-coached Vihiga County in their opening game, but he never panicked, never doubted his own abilities and that of his team. He stuck to playing his trademark slow and patient build-up style, bypassing the opponent's press and hitting them hard once through on goal. Some of the goals his team produced, a Pep Guardiola team would be proud to score. Not many times did he give media interviews and not many people will remember his name but anything that Homa Bay County did at the Tournament is down to this man.

What I know is that I cannot waste a chance. - Austine Odongo

2.  Nairobi on the wane - For ages, the slums of Nairobi proven a steady supply-line of footballing talent for Kenyan teams. From Denis Oliech, Victor Wanyama to Michael Ogada Olunga, the city county has churned out players that have for ages been the backbone of the National Football Team, Harambee Stars. But not anymore. Since the advent of devolution, the counties seem to have stepped up. For instance, one would be hard pressed to remember the last time a school from Nairobi region won the Kenya Secondary Schools football tournaments. Aldrine Kibet who dazzled at the latest tournament is not from anywhere near the city. Talanta Hela seems to have followed the same narrative. Nairobi failed to make it to the national finals (last 16) in both the boy's and girl's categories. This is unprecedented. The city is dotted with the best sports academies, the best facilities and the best coaches yet the latent pool just seem to be drying up. One possible explanation could be the new found love for rap music and dance in Nairobi making the city youth to shy away from sports.

3. Lack of sporting infrastructure still a challenge - The last round of qualifiers for the Talanta Hela tournament was held in Nyeri county at the height of the short rain season (October and November) and the scene was a messy one. In more than once instance the games had to be stopped midway because the field had become unplayable - and then resumed days  later. The talanta Hela brought to the fore the glaring shortage of standard football pitches in Kenya. As the country is set to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals, a lot need to be done between now and then or it will be the biggest sporting embarrassment this country has ever seen since the humiliating loss to South Sudan in an international friendly match in September in Nairobi this year.

Kenya's footballing future is brilliant if Talanta Hela Tournament is to continued in the coming years and the pool of identified talent are well nurtured. I imagine a team build around Aldrine Kibet, Cecil Miller, Ben Ogutu, Austine Odongo, Alex Aviasa, Tyrone Kariuki, Paul Devoy, Wanjala and Hamisi Otieno could pull a major surprise by taking Kenya for the first time ever to the semi final stage of AFCON 2027 or even going all the way. Who can stop us?

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