The road to the 2026 Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) National Term Two Games title is now clearly mapped out after the release of the boys' and girls' volleyball fixtures, setting the stage for five days of high-quality action at the M-Pesa Foundation Academy in Thika.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsEight teams in each category have qualified through the regional championships and will battle for the national title from Sunday, 2 to Thursday, 6 August, with the top two teams from each pool progressing to the semifinals before the championship matches on Thursday.Boys VolleyballThika ready for KSSSA National Term Two Games as quest for new champions beginsThe boys' championship will usher in a new era after reigning national and East African champions Cheptil Secondary School failed to qualify for the nationals, guaranteeing that a different school will be crowned champions for the first time since Ruthimitu Mixed School lifted the title in 2023.Rift Valley champions ACK Chepsaita Senior School, who dethroned Cheptil in the regional championships, headline Pool A alongside North Eastern representatives Furaha Mixed Secondary School, Nyanza champions Masara Secondary School and Central Region champions Kiambaa Boys High School.Chepsaita begin their campaign against Kiambaa Boys on the opening day before facing Masara on Monday and concluding the preliminary stage against Furaha Mixed on Tuesday.##NAJAVA_MECA_9872280##Pool B promises another competitive contest with Nairobi champions Ruthimitu Mixed School, Coast Region champions Moi Forces Academy, Western Region representatives Chesamisi Boys who replace Malava Boys who were disqualified after a documentation audit and Eastern Region champions Matiliku Secondary School.Former national champions Ruthimitu open against Chesamisi before taking on Matiliku and concluding the group stage against Moi Forces Academy.Western representatives Chesamisi face one of the toughest opening schedules. They begin against Ruthimitu before meeting Moi Forces on the second day and wrapping up the preliminary round against Matiliku.KSSSA: Why more schools are being disqualified ahead of National GamesThe top two teams from each pool will advance to the semifinals on Wednesday, 5 August 5, before the bronze medal match and final are played on Thursday.Girls VolleyballAttention will also focus on the girls' championship, where defending national and East African champions Kwanthanze Secondary School begin another title defence.##NAJAVA_MECA_9872309##The Eastern Region giants, who have won three of the last four national championships and remain the dominant force in Kenyan school volleyball, have been drawn in Pool A alongside Western Region champions St. Martha's Mwitoti Secondary School, Central Region representatives Kahuro Girls and North Eastern champions Wajir Girls.Kwanthanze open their campaign against St. Martha's before facing Kahuro Girls on the second day and Wajir Girls in their final preliminary match.Pool B features one of the tournament favourites in Rift Valley champions Kesogon Secondary School, whose rivalry with Kwanthanze has defined girls' volleyball over the past four editions.KSSSA: Green Commandos back where they belong as Luche targets record-extending 15th national titleKesogon arrive in Thika determined to reclaim the national title they won in 2023 after finishing runners-up to Kwanthanze in each of the last two KSSSA finals.They begin against Nyanza champions Aluor Girls before facing Nairobi's Soweto Academy and Coast Region champions Mwanambeyu Girls.Should both Kwanthanze and Kesogon top their respective pools, the two rivals would avoid each other until the final, raising the possibility of yet another showdown between the country's leading girls' volleyball programmes.##NAJAVA_MECA_9872196##The rivalry has produced some of the most memorable matches in recent KSSSA and FEASSSA history. Kesogon stunned Kwanthanze to win the 2023 national title before the Eastern Region champions reclaimed the crown in 2024 and successfully defended it in 2025.The two schools have also shared recent East African honours, making them the benchmark for girls' volleyball in Kenya.The opening day on Sunday, 2 August, will see four matches played in each category as teams seek an early advantage in the race for the knockout stages. The preliminary rounds continue on Monday and Tuesday before the semifinals on Wednesday determine the finalists.KSSSA: Kesogon Girls eye national glory as volleyball rivals prepare for another showdown with KwanthanzeWith Cheptil absent from the boys' competition and Kwanthanze aiming to extend their dominance in the girls' championship, this year's tournament presents contrasting storylines.The boys' title race appears more open than it has been in recent seasons, with Chepsaita, Ruthimitu, Chesamisi, Moi Forces Academy and Masara all harbouring realistic ambitions of lifting the trophy.In the girls' competition, however, the spotlight will once again be on whether anyone can stop Kwanthanze, or whether Kesogon can finally turn years of consistency into another national championship.##NAJAVA_MECA_9872319##By Thursday afternoon, when the finals are played at the M-Pesa Foundation Academy, two schools will have emerged as Kenya's newest national volleyball champions and earned the opportunity to represent the country at the FEASSSA Games later this month.
109