Whatever happened to Kihika's promised Governor’s Cup?

In August 2025, Governor Susan Kihika addressed opinion leaders and young people in Naivasha, announcing what she described as a new chapter in youth sports.

She said that her much-anticipated 'Governor's Cup' would begin in September and run until December, sweeping through every ward and sub-county in a countywide hunt for talent.

“Starting in September, I will launch the Governor’s Cup. It will start at ward level, in every corner of the county,' she declared in a video shared by one of her bloggers.

The competition would be dynamic and all-inclusive, featuring football, volleyball, netball, pool and more.

She explained that the games would start with ward-level matches, which would lead to sub-county contests. The sub-county winners would then represent their constituencies, and the finalists would meet in December for the grand finale, where the champions would be crowned.

Beyond trophies and bragging rights, she promised more incentives. She said that international talent scouts would be invited to Nakuru to identify and recruit outstanding players, which thrilled local youth groups at the time.

That was the plan.

However, months later, the tournament largely existed in memory and in that Facebook video clip because no kick-off was recorded.

It appears that no sub-county elimination matches happened, and today, as we count down the days to the end of 2025, the only thing that has been crowned is the growing suspicion that the grand sports revival might have been just that: a grand announcement.

For now, the 'Governor's Cup' remains an appealing concept that never left the Naivasha hall and still occupies a place in the public imagination.
Whether it will ever make it to the pitch is a question that lingers long after September came and went.