The Chapa Dimba na Safaricom grassroots tournament will be making its comeback in the country for the first time since 2020 after the official launch was held on Saturday at the Camp Toyoyo Grounds.The resumption of the fourth edition of the tournament cut short in May 2020 at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, follows successful talks between the telecommunications company and Football Kenya Federation (FKF).Since its inception in 2018, the tourney has gained fame for nurturing talented players who have gone on to become household names in Kenyan football with current league top scorer Benson Omala – who plays for record champions Gor Mahia – providing a perfect example.Hayawi hayawi huwa, tuna furaha mpwito mpwito msimu wa nne wa #SafaricomChapaDimba ume ng’oa nanga! Tupo site Camp Toyoyo. #ChezaKamaWewe pic.twitter.com/hqM2V4Jh7T— Safaricom PLC (@SafaricomPLC) April 29, 2023 Speaking during the launch, Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa expressed his delight in the tournament’s resumption as he said telecommunication giants would pump over 400 million as support.“Six years ago, we introduced Chapa Dimba to help nurture and grow football talent. This initiative is a national grassroot football tournament for young people aged between 16-20 years by Safaricom in partnership with Football Kenya Federation (FKF).We are committing over KES 400 million to support the Chapa Dimba from Mashinani all the way to the national level. We genuinely believe in the power of sports to transform lives, especially for the youth.Safaricom has today launched Chapa Dimba Season Four at Camp Toyoyo Grounds in Nairobi. The total Prize money has doubled to KES 20 million for overall winners and over 150 scholarships to TVET institutions for the best players at County, Regional and National levels, and 10-day… pic.twitter.com/L1AGgWVhBE— Carol Radull (@CarolRadull) April 29, 2023 As Safaricom, we are proud of what the tournament has achieved over the years and we could not have achieved this great milestone alone. I would like to appreciate our partners, including the government through the Ministry of Sports and the FKF,” Ndegwa said.The CEO also revealed the tournament prize pool money had been doubled from 10 to 20 million in addition to personal prizes that will be handed out to the best-performing individuals.“We have also doubled the prize pool from KES 10 million to KES 20 million, to also reward the winning teams at the county level, in addition to the ones in the regional and national levels.##NAJAVA_MECA_7217580##We have included additional prize money at the national finals, which will see the most disciplined team take home KES 100,000, while the Best Girl player, Girls Top Scorer, and Girls Best Keeper will take home KES 50,000 each,” he said.The tournament will also see education scholarships awarded to the best-performing students and teams.“Courtesy of the Safaricom & M-Pesa Foundation, I am also pleased to announce that we shall offer TVET scholarships to 150 players – to the best boy and girl players in every county and the winning teams at the national finals level,” he added.Omanyala dips below 10 seconds to win Botswana Golden Grand Prix in world lead timeSeason four of the tournament will officially kick off on 3rd June and will run until 14th January 2024.Chapa Dimba na Safaricom’s third edition was cut short in May 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic when finals for the Nyanza and Western Regions had not been played. The selection of a strong team which was to comprise All-Stars after the competition and was to go for a 10-day training trip to Spain, was also not done.Mozzart Bet Cup: Tusker see off KCB to book place into semisOther players who are products of Chapa Dimba na Safaricom are Tusker duo of David Majak and Eric Zakayo, Benson Omondi, Judith Osimbo, Mercy Airo and Harambee Starlets ace Jentrix Shikangwa who is currently with Tanzanian outfit Simba Queens among others.
