St. John’s Junior School and Olympic Junior School, both from Nairobi Region, have won this year’s M-PESA Jr. NBA National Championships in an exciting finals held at Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa.
St. John’s Junior School beat host’s, Aga Khan Academy, 30–23 to win the boys’ title. They reached the final after a strong 42–20 win against Siaya Central Juniors. Aga Khan had defeated St. Joseph RC 66–53 in their semi-final.
“First, I want to thank M-PESA and Jr. NBA for giving us such a wonderful platform to showcase our talent. It’s truly amazing to emerge as the national champions. Aga Khan played well, they had a height advantage, but we played a tactical game, pressing hard through their defense to secure the win. I’m happy to be named Coach of the Year; it means a lot to me. I am also proud that the Best Player also came from my team,” said Brian Busaka, Head Coach of St. John’s Junior School.
Olympic Junior School won the girls’ championship after a close 19–15 win over Shelter Academy. The first half ended in a 7–7 tie, but Olympic stepped up in the second half to seal the win.
“Western and Nyanza teams were really tough and strong opponents. However, I am glad we emerged as the champions of this year’s Jr. NBA. Our finals match against Shelter Academy was intense. In the second half, we pressed harder and tightened our defense, which helped us overpower them and secure the win,” said Ezra Alenga, Head Coach of Olympic Junior School.
Olympic had earlier beaten Nyamachari Junior School, while Shelter Academy won against Lugulu AC Junior School to reach the final.
Third-Place Matches
Lugulu AC won third place in the girls’ category with a 38–21 win over Nyamachari Junior. St. Joseph’s RC came third in the boys’ category after beating Siaya Central 41–25.
Top Awards
Best Players: Moses Ochieng (St. John’s) and Brenda Akinyi (Olympic)
Best Coaches: Brian Busaka (St. John’s) and Ezra Alenga (Olympic)
Victor Odada from Safaricom said the program helps young people grow through sports and teaches them about saving and money management. He praised the talent shown during the tournament.
“Our purpose is to transform lives, and that is why we are supporting various sports across the country. I am glad to see the success of this year’s M-PESA Jr. NBA, where we have played a key role as a sponsor,” said Odada.
Before the finals, the Top 100 Elite Camp brought together the best 50 boys and 50 girls from different regions. The camp focused on skill-building, games, and choosing All-Star teams. Each All-Star got a medal and a smartphone.
Michael Finley from NBA Africa said the first edition of the tournament was a huge success. It reached over 10,000 youth through games, clinics, and life skills training.
“We have come to the end of the first edition of our junior basketball tournament, and it has been a tremendous success. The talent we have witnessed at the grassroots level is truly remarkable, and we hope to come back even bigger next year,” said Finley.
