Three former Chapa Dimba na Safaricom players played an instrumental role in the Harambee Starlets win during the 2019 CECAFA Women’s Championships.
The three players are Jentrix Shikangwa from Shinyalu Academy, Judith Osimbo and Mercy Airo of Plateau Queens, the 2018 Chapa Dimba na Safaricom winning girls’ team. During the tour, Harambee Starlets went unbeaten and were crowned the 2019 CECAFA Women’s Champions.
During the tournament, Shikangwa displayed terrific form and gave a thrilling performance scored 12 goals during the Championships and was awarded the tournament’s top scorer award
In a repeat of the 2016 CECAFA finals, Harambee Starlets edged out Tanzania 2:0. Shikangwa – who came in as a substitute in the second half – netted a goal in the 70th minute and another one in the 80th minute after a goalless first half, to dash hopes of a possible comeback from the home team.
On their journey to the finals, Harambee Starlets beat Ethiopia 2-0, Djibouti 12-0 and Uganda 3-0 in group stages. They then went on to thrash Burundi 5-0 in the semi-finals to earn them a spot at the finals against Tanzania.
Jentrix Shikangwa, had this to say, “Since 2007, I have been trying to get a break in my football career and it has been a long, hard road. Fortunately, through Chapa Dimba na Safaricom I was lucky to be spotted and recruited into the National team after I completed high school in 2018. I am happy that Chapa Dimba Na Safaricom also involved girls’ teams because women’s football needs all the support it can get.”