On 4th June 2017, the Gicharani Stadium in Karai Ward was packed with an excited crowd which had come to cheer on their teams as they battled it out for the CEEC sponsored Gender Champions against Gender Based Violence cup. This was under the DKA Austria funded project Positive Masculinities Project Working with young men to combat Gender Based Violence in Kiambu County, Kenya”. The bonanza was a culmination of tournaments which ran between February and June 2017 in the five wards in the Sub County namely Kikuyu, Karai, Kinoo, Sigona and Nachu. It brought together the two top teams per ward and attracted over 600 soccer fans. The fans cheered their teams while chanting “Say No to Gender based Violence!” a slogan that was visible on the football jerseys worn by the players and banners hung around the field. The message was loud and clear – violence in all its forms is unacceptable at all levels of society. With the general elections only two months away, the youth were implored to maintain peace in their homes, within their teams and in the community. Maybe with home ground advantage, Homeboys FC from Karai Ward were declared the 2017 Champions against Gender based Violence after beating Barcelona FC from Nachu Ward in a penalty shoot-out. The winning team got a trophy and a set of uniforms, No. 2 got a set of uniforms, Nos. 3 and 4 got shin guards while Nos. 5-10 received soccer balls. The methodology of using an activity that is very popular with the youth, soccer, has proved very effective in getting the message across while at the same time nurturing talent.
The 2017 Kikuyu Sub County Championship against Gender based Violence
