Africa-Press – Kenya. Over 300 international and local players have converged in Eldoret City for the Timba Xo International Pool Carnival.
It’s the largest pool tournament in the region, taking place at the Timba Xo Club associated with Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, with the overall prize money standing at Sh7 million.
The event has already kicked off and will run until Sunday, when the finals for both men’s and women’s categories will take place.
Timba Xo Manager David Tuwei said they had decided to host the event as a way to promote the huge potential of talent in pool, a sport that is popular countrywide.
“This is our first edition of the tournament and gives us an opportunity to support talent and also market Timba Xo as a leading social entertainment place in this region,” said Tuwei.
He spoke at a media briefing as the tournament kicked off with the local men’s category. He was accompanied by Patricia Keruihe, popularly known as “The Pool Queen.”
Also present was Martin Kihato, the Tournament Director from the Kenya Pool and Billiards Federation (KPBF).
Keruihe, who is also a leading player and KPBF director, said the magnitude of the Timba Xo event was the largest ever held in the country, attracting world-class players.
“This is a unique tournament that offers the best exposure to our players and the best experience in developing the sport,” said Keruihe.
She said the event was also a major step toward professionalising the pool sport, which has suffered stigmatisation as it was often associated with idleness, gambling, and crime among the youth.
“We are here to inform everyone that pool is no longer a game of idlers—it’s now a professional sport that needs support to develop,” said Keruihe.
She added that pool was now one of the best-paying sports in the country and that the Timba Xo event would help sensitise youth to its development.
Keruihe is among the players in the national pool team participating in the event.
She said that although it was a male-dominated sport, women also had a chance to achieve success, as she has done, making a living from it.
Among those participating in the Timba Xo event are 30 players from Uganda, 20 from Tanzania, 8 from Zimbabwe, another 8 from South Africa, 5 from South Sudan, and others from Malawi.
Key players include Aden Joseph from South Africa, a multiple African champion, along with former World Champion Wetsy Morake, also from South Africa.
Others include Cezsar Chandiga, one of the best players from Uganda, and the current African champion in the female category, Rukia Naiga from Uganda.
The tournament does not have an international women’s category, but Naiga will participate in the men’s international category.
Kihato said the federation was grateful to the Timba Xo Club for hosting such a large tournament that makes a difference for the sport in Kenya.
“We require support from the government and other stakeholders to be able to tap the full potential of the pool game in this country,” he said.
He said the game now attracts senior members of society, including MPs and other top professionals.
Kihato added that they also need support to travel across the country and sensitise millions of youth and parents about the pool game.
“We need to go out and tell them that pool is not a bad game as widely believed—it’s now a professional sport from which our youth can make a living,” said Kihato.
He noted that the Timba Xo event was bigger than the African Championship and even larger than the World Black Ball event in terms of prize money.
He said the federation was struggling to develop the sport in the country without government support and warned that they might not be able to send players to international events due to a lack of funding.
“For this tournament, we guarantee our players that the prize money indicated will be paid out,” he said.
He appealed to the government, emphasizing that pool was no longer a pastime or sport for idlers.
“We have staggering potential, and we believe this sport should be introduced as a club sport in our schools as part of growing talent,” he said.
He concluded that the game was already at higher levels in other countries, just like football and athletics.
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