St Anthony’s Boys Kitale and Friends School Kamusinga have secured top spots in their respective pools at the 2026 FEASSSA boys’ hockey championship in Morogoro, setting up two intriguing semi-final encounters as the battle for the East African crown enters the knockout stage. St Anthony’s completed their Pool B campaign in commanding fashion, beating hosts Benjamin Mkapa High School 3-0 to finish top with a perfect nine points.
The Kenyan champions were inspired by captain Kelvin Onyango, who produced a complete individual performance by scoring all three goals.Onyango opened the scoring from a penalty corner in the 27th minute before doubling St Anthony’s advantage five minutes later with a field goal.
The St Anthony’s captain completed his hat-trick in the 39th minute, converting another penalty corner to seal a comfortable victory. The result means St Anthony’s will face defending champions Kakungulu Memorial of Uganda, setting up one of the most anticipated matches of the knockout stage. For coach Kevin Lugalia, however, the group stage is now history and there is little room for complacency.“We’re into the knockout stage and there’s no room for error. We have to beat Kakungulu. This year we have to take it home,” said Lugalia. “We have no option but to ensure we have this. It’s not an easy match, but we just have to do it.”The meeting will bring together two teams with very different motivations.
Kakungulu are attempting to defend the title they won in 2025, while St Anthony’s are looking to complete a remarkable season by adding the East African crown to the Kenyan national title they won earlier this year.The Ugandans also ended Kenya’s long-standing dominance of FEASSSA boys’ hockey when they won the championship in 2022 and have remained one of the region’s strongest sides.Meanwhile, Friends School Kamusinga booked their place in the semi-finals as Pool A winners after producing one of their biggest performances of the tournament, defeating defending champions Kakungulu Memorial 1-0.
The decisive moment came in the 25th minute when Reagan Meshack found the breakthrough, scoring the only goal of the match. The result was particularly significant for Kamusinga after their opening draw against Arusha Meru.
According to head coach Mathew Wakoli, the result against Arusha had created the impression that Kamusinga could be vulnerable, particularly after Kakungulu subsequently defeated the Tanzanian side. But Kamusinga had other plans.“We came into the game with an intention to win. When we drew against Arusha Meru and Kakungulu beat them, they thought it was a push over, but we were determined to win this match as it stood between us and the semi-final,” said Wakoli.
The victory not only sent Kamusinga through but also confirmed them as the group winners.Their route through Pool A, however, was complicated by the late withdrawal of Namilyango College of Uganda, which left the group with only three teams.
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That significantly reduced the margin for error for the remaining sides.“The withdrawal of Namilyango College at the last minute really destabilized our pool and left us with three teams. That means that a draw or a loss would definitely put you out of the competition,” explained Wakoli. Kamusinga therefore had little choice but to approach their meeting with Kakungulu as a must-win contest, and Meshack’s goal proved enough to deliver the result.
The victory sets up a semi-final against Ntare School of Uganda, who finished second in Pool B. “We have watched them. They were beaten 1-0 by St Anthony’s, so we know how to get into the match,” he said.Kamusinga are also carrying a significant piece of history into the knockout stage. According to Wakoli, the school has consistently progressed beyond the preliminary stage and into the latter stages of the FEASSSA competition.“Kamusinga has never failed to get past the preliminary and also past the semis, so we know we’ll reach the final,” he said.