Players from Nkabune Strikers have protested what they claim is continued denial of access to a football pitch at Nkabune Technical Training Institute, saying the move has disrupted their training and matches. The team is now calling on local administrators to intervene and help resolve the standoff.
Speaking at a press briefing outside the locked football pitch, the players said they were shocked after arriving for their usual training sessions only to find they could not access the facility. They said the restrictions have frustrated the team, which has relied on the ground for training and hosting matches.
Collins Mukaria, a player at Nkabune Strikers, said the situation came to a head last Sunday when the team was scheduled to play a match. He claimed their opponents arrived at the venue but both teams initially remained outside before they were eventually allowed onto the pitch.
“On Sunday, we had a game and our opponents arrived earlier than usual, but we were denied access to the football pitch. They nearly left, although the pitch was eventually opened after much struggle,” Mukaria said.
The players said they were later instructed to formally seek permission from the institution’s principal before using the field. According to them, they wrote and delivered the requested letter on Monday but had not received a response by the time they addressed the press.
Mukaria said the continued lack of access has left the young players questioning how they were expected to spend the time normally dedicated to training. He argued that sports provide young people with a constructive activity that can help keep them away from drugs and illicit alcohol.
“We wonder what they want us to do. Do they want us to go and smoke bhang when 4 p.m. reaches and we should be training? Or do they want us to perish in illicit brew? What exactly do they want us to do?” Mukaria said.
Gitonga Dickson, captain of Nkabune Strikers, said the lockout had affected the team’s preparations, particularly because they have upcoming competitions. He said the players were increasingly frustrated after going for several days without their normal training sessions and feared their skills could suffer.
“This is the only pitch I have known since I was a young boy. We have not trained this entire week, and we are not happy. We want the principal to tell us where we are going to take this energy,” Gitonga said.
Gitonga further claimed that parts of the ground that should be available for sporting activities were instead being used to grow sukuma wiki and maize. He appealed to the Deputy County Commissioner and County Commissioner to intervene and facilitate talks that would allow the youth to resume training.
Stephen Malonzo, the team manager of Nkabune Strikers, said the club has played a role in engaging and rehabilitating young people from the surrounding community, including some who had previously been involved in drug abuse. He said denying them access to the pitch risked undermining those efforts.
Malonzo also claimed that members of the Nkabune community contributed portions of their land towards the establishment of the institution. He said the facility had evolved from Nkabune Intermediate Primary to Nkabune Commercial Girls before eventually becoming Nkabune Technical Training Institute.
“We, as the community, are the ones who gave our portions of land for this institution. It used to be Nkabune Intermediate Primary, then Nkabune Commercial Girls, before the government changed it to Nkabune TTI,” Malonzo said.
Malonzo said attempts to resolve the dispute through dialogue had so far failed. He claimed the team had approached the area chief after submitting a letter to the institution and sought his intervention, but the efforts had not yielded a solution.
When contacted for a right of reply to share her side of the story, the Nkabune Technical Training Institute principal answered the initial call and, after hearing the claims raised by the players, asked Voice Daily to hold on and call her back shortly afterwards. However, subsequent calls seeking her response went unanswered by the time of publication.
Edited by John Majau
