Here are the estates where county government wants to build basketball courts
A Nakuru County player taking a three point in their game against Siaya County.
On the July 5, 2023 the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) organised a tournament in Nakuru that brought fans of the game to the Menengai High School basketball court for the games.
At the time, we got to speak to some fans, team managers and players to understand the state of basketball in the county and of course they all had their fair share to say.
From all they said, one thing stood out. The fact that Nakuru County does not have a public court that is accessible to all.
This was evident from the fact that the tournament was held on a high school basketball court at the time.
Last weekend, the Nakuru County women's basketball team played in the Kenya Youth Inter-County Sports Association (KYISA) tournament in Kilifi and came out number two.
The team, which went through a very intense selection process to ensure that only the best of the best were selected, displayed strategic, skillful and tactical basketball that enabled them to reach the final triumphantly.
As the saying goes, getting to the top is not the hardest part, the hardest part is staying on top.
The big question was where would these talented girls go to further develop their talents to become even better players and reach even greater heights.
According to Josephine Atieno, the County Executive Committee Member for Sports, Gender, Social Services and Inclusivity, they recognised the efforts put in by not only the basketball team but also the other two disciplines, volleyball and football.
"From the great performance we have seen, it goes without saying that we have indeed a group of very young and talented women and as such we need to nurture this talent and that is why we are planning to have these county teams represent the county in numerous tournaments such as the inter-county tournament that will be held under the Talanta Hela initiative that is coming up soon," said Ms Atieno.
With this they hope to create opportunities for the youth to play in some of the best leagues, be it local or international.
"We are planning and have budgeted for basketball courts in London, Kamukunji Grounds and various other places so that all those who are talented in the sport can practice and develop their skills," she said.
She concluded by saying that sports in itself is a unifying factor and therefore it helps the youth to embrace each other and through tournaments, youth from different parts of the county can come together, have fun, keep busy and also develop their talent.