Two clubs punch their Chapa Dimba ticket

The clubs going through

St. Joseph Starlets Murang'a and LYSA are the latest names to join the list of Central Region champions in Chapa Dimba's short but growing history. The tournament, now in its fifth edition, is backed by Safaricom and has become Kenya's most visible pipeline for youth talent. FKF Premier League scouts have attended the national finals in previous editions.

Central Region is one of the more competitive zones in the draw. Clubs from Murang'a, Laikipia and the surrounding counties have pushed through in previous editions, and the two winners this time around will carry that region's hopes into a national finals field that draws the best young players from across the country.

Why Chapa Dimba keeps producing

The tournament's track record is the reason this result matters beyond the local level. Several players who came through Chapa Dimba have gone on to feature in the FKF Premier League, and the national finals have become a genuine scouting event. For a club like St. Joseph Starlets Murang'a, reaching that stage puts their best players in front of an audience they would not otherwise access.

LYSA, based in Laikipia, represent a county that rarely gets the football spotlight. A national finals appearance changes that, at least for a few weeks, and for the players involved it is competitive football at a level above anything the Central Region calendar offers.

The national finals date is yet to be confirmed, but both clubs will now prepare knowing the hard part, getting out of the region, is done.