The Kenya Table Tennis Association (KTTA) has rolled out a partnership program for skilled and talented players in Primary and Secondary Schools.
KTTA president Mr Andrew Mudibo announced that the partnership with the three top schools, St Joseph Boys High School, Kitale, Visa Oshwal Primary School in Nairobi and St. Monica Girls School, Kitale is the first step in what he said will be a journey towards nourishing junior table tennis players to cover the full circle in their pursuit of world-class standards.
The partnership is an extension of the ‘Tucheze Tebo’ initiative launched by the association in 2017, which aims at identifying talented learners in both Primary and High School, for a five-year full scholarship program.
“This is an initial 5-year plan and we want to nurture players from primary school to Secondary school and eventually into university. It will definitely be a tall order considering the travel and training program that the students will undergo.
“We are calling on corporate partners to come onboard because we wish to give them exposure at the global stage to get the best out of them and this will mean that they have travelling expenses and their coaches too will have to get the best training to be able to impart the best tactics in them,” Mudibo said in a press conference held at the Visa Oshwal Primary School in Nairobi.
St. Monica Girls and St Joseph Boys High Schools in Kitale have served as the backbone for KTTA in the Western region for many years and therefore it was paramount to begin the program there.
KTTA is targeting to have one Primary School and two High Schools (Boy and Girls) in each of the 47 Counties to be included in the program.
The association is having talks with some of the best Universities in the country to also agree to offer full scholarships to the talented players in the program.
If the program receives the proper corporate support, a full series of training and exposure will make this a world-class program. Visa Oshwal Primary School principal Njoroge Ithagu invited past players to come on board and provide technical support for the program to prosper.
“Most of our teachers who are our trainers in schools only played the game during their days in school. If past players can come in through the association and offer technical support, we will be able to achieve the desired results from the program,” Njoroge noted.
“St. Monica has been a table tennis powerhouse for close to 20years and we are very happy to join this partnership. We hope it will be of great benefit to us and we can make table tennis a household sport just like football and athletics,” St. Monica Girls School principal Grace Ataro said.
Also present at the meeting was St Joseph Boys High School, Kitale Chief Principal Godfrey Awuori who stated that the program will help in the development of sports which the school has embraced over the years.
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