St. Joseph Starlets End Barcelona Dominance as LYSA Defends Safaricom Chapa Dimba Central Title

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 St. Joseph Starlets Murang’a and Laikipia Youth Soccer Academy (LYSA) have been crowned champions of the fifth edition of the Safaricom Chapa Dimba Central Region finals, earning places in next year’s national finals.

St. Joseph Starlets produced a commanding performance to beat defending champions Barcelona Rising Starlets 5-1 in the girls’ final, ending a five-season wait for the regional crown and bringing Barcelona’s dominance to an end.

Patience Waithera opened the scoring in the ninth minute before Iffy Moraa doubled St. Joseph’s advantage from the penalty spot after Fiona Mmboga was penalised for a foul inside the box.

Waithera returned after the break to complete a remarkable four-goal haul, while Nevian Anyoso scored Barcelona’s consolation goal as St. Joseph Starlets sealed a convincing victory.

St. Joseph coach Geofrey Kitemi said the team had studied their opponents carefully after suffering a 5-0 defeat to Barcelona last season.

> “It has always been our wish to win the regional title and take my team to the nationals, and today we have made it,” Kitemi said, adding that the team’s next target is to lift the national trophy.


In the boys’ final, LYSA successfully defended their Central Region title, edging MASFO Academy 1-0 to secure their third regional championship.

Patrick Ngaira scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the 19th minute after Dokhor Kiir was penalised for a foul inside the box.

MASFO pushed for an equaliser but failed to find a way through, with Kelvin Lemein hitting the crossbar from a free kick and Samwel Parmuat missing a one-on-one chance.

LYSA coach Farouque Djeffah praised his players for remaining focused despite fatigue.

> “It was really a tough game, not as we had anticipated, but we are happy to defend our title,” Djeffah said, thanking Safaricom for providing young players with a platform to showcase their talent.



Both regional champions received Ksh. 250,000 each, alongside smartphones, airtime and other prizes. They will now represent the Central Region at the national finals scheduled for early next year.

The runners-up, Barcelona Rising Starlets and MASFO Academy, received Ksh. 150,000 each.

Barcelona’s Gladys Wanjoro and LYSA’s Stephen Kamau were named Best Goalkeepers, while St. Joseph Starlets’ Patience Waithera and LYSA’s Samson Epuu won the Top Scorer awards.

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards went to Fatuma Binsuda of St. Joseph Starlets and Edison Bwire of LYSA. Each received Ksh. 30,000 and a fully funded tertiary education scholarship under the Safaricom Citizens of the Future Programme.

St. Joseph Starlets and LYSA join Western Region champions Vihiga Cranes and Lugari Progressive, who have already secured their places in the national finals.

The Central Region finals were preceded by an exhibition match between Safaricom staff and Kirinyaga journalists, with the journalists securing a 4-0 victory and taking home Ksh. 40,000.

The Chapa Dimba regional finals now move to Nyanza Region, with Homa Bay County set to host the next leg at Raila Odinga Stadium on September 12 and 13, 2026.

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