Kenya U20 central defender Jackson Imbiakha is hoping to put pen to paper and join the growing list of Kenyan stars abroad, at the end of his trial program in Belgium with top-tier side KV Mechelen. Imbiakha quietly left Nairobi for Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday 25 February after landing the opportunity to audition for the eighth-placed team in the overall Belgian top division table. Despite not setting foot in the Kenyan top league, the 19-year-old impressed scouts while featuring in the National Super League (NSL) for Mombasa Elite. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8789835##The fact that he was part of the U20 team, the Rising Stars, that clinched the Africa Cup of Nations ticket, during the qualifiers held in October last year, was an added advantage. Imbiakha and Stars punched the AFCON U20 ticket after finishing second, behind Tanzania, in the CECAFA qualifiers held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The Kenyan team, under the guidance of head coach Salim Babu, will take on defending champions Senegal, Zambia and Sierra Leone in Group C of the finals, scheduled to run between Saturday 26 April to Sunday 18 May in Ivory Coast. Why Mathare United defender failed to attend trials in EuropeBesides the U20 team, the former Rainbow FC player, who can also play as a right back featured for the national U18 team during a CECAFA tournament, held in December 2023 in Kisumu. Before joining Rainbow, Imbiakha, a Kivaywa Boys’ High School product, had a three-month-long stint with Division One Zone B club Soy United and honed his skills at Lukova FC. List of schools qualified for 2025 KSSSA National Term One GamesFounded in 1904, Mechelen plays its home matches at the commercialised AFAS Stadium which has a seating capacity of 16,715.Dutch side, AZ Alkmaar, also plays home matches in an AFAS-sponsored stadium. Mechelen, are under the tutelage of 47-year-old Belgian coach Frederik Vanderbiest.
