Takaba Mixed Makes North Eastern History

Takaba Mixed Day Senior School’s breakthrough at the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association Term Two national games is a football result, but it is also a rare appearance by a North Eastern school deep into a national schools tournament. On August 4, Takaba beat St Philip’s Baricho 7-1 at M-Pesa Foundation Academy in Thika to register the region’s first reported football win at the national finals. (standardmedia.co.ke) The result did not stand alone. On August 5, The Star reported that Takaba had gone on to reach the boys’ semi-finals, becoming the first school from the North Eastern region to get that far in national secondary schools football. (the-star.co.ke) That run put a school from Mandera County into a competition usually dominated by longer-established football programs from other parts of Kenya. ### How big was the actual result in Thika? The August 4 scoreline was emphatic: Takaba beat St Philip’s Baricho 7-1 on day two of the 2026 secondary schools Term Two games in Thika, according to The Standard. (standardmedia.co.ke) The paper said Abdi Majid scored twice, while Yahyah Majid, Ismail Idd, Ali Noor and Abdi Karim each added a goal, with Alex Jomba scoring Baricho’s late consolation. That margin matters because the first national win was not a narrow upset squeezed out late in a group match. The Standard described it as Takaba’s first-ever win at the national games, and The Star later said the victory made Takaba the first North Eastern school to win a match at the national finals. (the-star.co.ke) ### Why is Takaba’s run being treated as history for North Eastern? The Star’s August 5 report tied the school’s progress directly to regional history. It said Takaba became the first school from the North Eastern region to reach the national secondary schools football semi-finals after its group-stage campaign. (standardmedia.co.ke) KSSSA, the body that runs the games, says it organizes secondary school competitions across Kenya in Term One and Term Two. Within that national structure, North Eastern schools have had far less visibility in football than schools from regions that regularly produce finalists and champions, which is why Takaba’s appearance in the knockout rounds drew attention beyond a single match result. (standardmedia.co.ke) ### How did Takaba get from one historic win to the last four? Tuesday’s final group match completed the jump. The Star reported that Takaba beat Tumaini 4-2 at Mang’u High School to seal a semi-final place. Earlier in the group stage, the same report said, Takaba had already made history with its win over St Philip’s Baricho. (the-star.co.ke) The group-stage path was not unbeaten. The Standard reported that Kakamega School had opened with a 3-0 win over Takaba, and The Star said St Mary’s Yala coach Kevin Oluoch had watched Takaba against Kakamega before warning against underrating them. (ksssa.co.ke) ### Who said this run could continue? Takaba Senior Principal Abdikhalif Hassan Ibrahim set the school’s target in direct terms. “We want to continue writing history by qualifying for the East Africa championships. We are not afraid of any team,” he told The Star. (the-star.co.ke) St Mary’s Yala coach Kevin Oluoch gave a similarly direct assessment of the challenge ahead. “Takaba is a good team,” he said, adding that his side could not afford to underrate the newcomers. (standardmedia.co.ke) ### What came next after the breakthrough? The next fixture was already set by August 5. The Star reported that Takaba would face St Mary’s Yala in the boys’ football semi-final at M-Pesa Foundation Academy in Thika, while the other semi-final paired Kakamega High School with Menengai High School. (the-star.co.ke) That schedule made the immediate stakes clear: a school from North Eastern that had just recorded its first national football win was one match away from the KSSSA national final and still chasing a place at the East Africa championships, according to Takaba’s principal. (the-star.co.ke)