All roads will be heading to Kisumu this weekend for the Safaricom Chapa Dimba National Finals.
Bandari Youth and Changamwe Ladies will represent the Coast region at the tournament’s national finals that will be held this weekend from Thursday 11th to Sunday 14th of April.
The fourth Safaricom Chapa Dimba tournament national finals will be played on two different pitches – Mamboleo Stadium and Moi Stadium in Kisumu County.
In the boys’ category, the hosts, Obunga FC, will take on Lysa FC from the Central region. Bandari Youth from the Coast region will face Wajir All-stars from the North Eastern region. PASC Langa from Rift Valley will play against Dandora’s Young Kings from Nairobi, while Ebwali FC from the Western region will take on Chuka University Scorpions from the Eastern region.
“Four seasons ago, we embarked on a journey with the Safaricom Chapa Dimba tournament and we are aiming to unearth natural untapped potentials of the Kenyan youth. This is an investment in the future of Kenya, a future where every young person can dare dream and achieve those dreams,” said Lucille Aveva, Director, Customer Obsession at Safaricom.
In the girls’ category, the hosts and season 1 champions, Plateau Queens alias Nyakach Girls, will play against Changamwe Ladies from the Coast region. Brenda Girls from the Western region will take on Syomunyu Secondary. Dagoretti Mixed from Nairobi will face off against Wiyeta Girls of Rift Valley as Barcelona Ladies SC from the Central region meet Wajir Queens from North Eastern.
After the quarterfinals, all action moves to Mamboleo Stadium for thrilling semifinals which will be played on Friday and Saturday. Finals will then follow on Sunday, still at Mamboleo Stadium.
“As we prepare for the national finals, let us celebrate not just the impending victories but also the spirit of unity, hard work, and community upliftment that Safaricom Chapa Dimba represents. Our investment in this tournament, over KES 400 million this season, is an investment in the future of Kenya—a future where every young person can dare to dream and achieve those dreams,” said Lucille Aveva.
During this season of the Chapa Dimba tournament, Safaricom has carried out eight Digital Financial Literacy training, empowering over 4,000 vendors and setting them up for their journey towards financial independence. Additionally, over 20,000 individuals have benefited from medical camps across the eight regions.\
The winning teams in the national finals will walk away with KES 1 million in cash, with the runners-up and second runners-up taking home KES 500,000 and KES 250,000, respectively (both boys’ and girls’ teams). In addition to the prize money, each player, both winners, runners-up, and second runners-up, will also get Neon Smartphones, the first locally assembled 4G smartphone in Kenya.
The outstanding players, including the Best Goalkeeper, Top Scorer, and Most Valuable Player (boys and girls), will each receive KES. 50,000.
In addition, this year’s tournament has also offered 150 TVET scholarships to Most Valuable Players (MVPs), empowering them with education and skills for life beyond football.
Safaricom Chapa Dimba aims to provide a structured platform for scouts and coaches to tap into new talent, build feeder systems for the Kenyan football leagues across the country, and train a total of 250 coaches. The tournament targets footballers aged between 16 and 20 years.
