Marion Serenge wins June's SJAK Sports Personality of the Month Award

In the second leg, at the Ulinzi Sports Complex on June 16, Serenge scored the opener after 17 minutes before Valerie Nekesa doubled the scores, for a 5-0 aggregate win that booked the team a World Cup slot.

LG’s Managing Director for East Africa, Dongwon Lee, expressed confidence that the SPOM recognition will motivate Serenge to continue making history for Team Kenya on the global stage. 

“Serenge really stood out for Kenya and being among our youngest winners of this award, we know that she will be motivated to work even harder as she and her team go on to represent the country on the global stage,” he said. 

For the award, Serenge, a student Archbishop Njenga Girls High School, was up against a strong panel of opponents, including African champion Alexandra Ndolo, who was nominated for her performance at the Africa Fencing Championships in Casablanca, Morocco, where she defeated Camillia El Kord in the senior women’s epee division.

Others were Junior Starlets teammate Velma Abwire and Captain Elizabeth Ochoka. 

Serenge expressed her excitement, stating, “I think I am on the right path to fulfill my dreams. It is every footballer’s dream to play in the World Cup in their career. As a team, we were motivated by the fact that no Kenyan football team has ever qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

This is an important opportunity, and I am optimistic that scouts from top clubs around the world will follow us in the Dominican Republic. We gave it our best, and now it’s time to introduce Kenyan football to the world.”

Other nominees included National rugby Sevens team captain Vincent Onyala, who scored a try in every match at the Grand Final in Madrid, Spain, helping Kenya to advance to the World Rugby Sevens Series and qualify for the Paris Olympics. His compatriot Kevin Wekesa of Kabras Sugar Rugby Club also impressed the panel. 

In athletics, World Championships 800m silver medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Emmanuel Too made the nomination list, with Wanyonyi running a personal best of 1:41.70 and Too winning a rare decathlon medal at the Africa Championships in Cameroon. Dennis Esokon of Kenya Prisons and Juliana Namutira of KCB, who helped their teams retain National Volleyball League titles, also caught the panel’s eye.

Other notable nominees were Gor Mahia striker Benson Omalla, Kenya Police goalkeeper Patrick Matasi, Posta Rangers forward Patrick Otieno, Zeddy Cheruiyot (Judo), Sarah Wasike (Ulinzi Handball), Jadon Simiyu (Chess U12 African Champion), and Faith Adhiambo (Korean Ambassadors Taekwondo Cup gold winner in Kyorugi in the senior women U46kg category). 

SJAK President James Waindi congratulated the nominees and urged sports personalities to keep scaling higher heights.