St. Mary’s School Yala and Kakamega High School became the first teams to book places in the semi-finals of the 2026 Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) National Football Championship after recording emphatic victories on Day Two at the M-PESA Foundation Academy in Thika.

The wins also guaranteed the two unbeaten sides qualification for the Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSSA) Games in Morogoro, Tanzania, with Kenya allocated four slots in the boys’ football competition.

Tournament debutants St. Mary’s School Yala continued their fairy-tale run with a commanding 5-1 victory over former champions Tononoka High School to remain top of Group A on maximum points.

The Black Saints were forced to come from behind after Tononoka stunned them with an eighth-minute opener. However, the Nyanza champions responded positively and restored parity from the penalty spot before taking the lead through the in-form Edwin Odhiambo, whose clinical finish gave Yala a 2-1 advantage at halftime.

The second half belonged entirely to the debutants as they overwhelmed Tononoka with wave after wave of attacks, adding three more goals to complete a statement victory that confirmed their status as genuine title contenders.

Odhiambo once again stole the headlines with a superb hat-trick, taking his tally to five goals in just two matches after scoring twice in Yala’s opening 2-0 victory over Menengai High School. The striker now leads the race for the Golden Boot and has been instrumental in Yala’s impressive start to their maiden national campaign.

Elsewhere in Group A, Rift Valley champions Menengai High School revived their hopes of reaching the last four with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Nairobi champions Highway Secondary School, a result that dealt Highway a major blow in the race for qualification.

In Group B, record champions Kakamega High School continued their impressive return to the national championships after an eight-year absence with a convincing 4-0 victory over Tumaini School.

The Green Commandoes were once again clinical in attack, with Julius Ochieng continuing his fine scoring form by grabbing a brace, while Derrick Wanyonyi and John Shitsama also got on the scoresheet to seal another dominant win for the Western champions.

Having opened their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Takaba Secondary School, Kakamega have now scored seven goals in two matches without conceding, underlining both their attacking prowess and defensive discipline. The result also extended their impressive run this season, having won 14 of their 16 matches during the qualification campaign before carrying that momentum into the national finals.

There was also history for North Eastern representatives Tabaka Mixed Secondary School, who recorded the region’s biggest-ever victory at the KSSSA National Games by thrashing St. Philips 7-1 in a remarkable performance.

With one round of group matches remaining, St. Mary’s School Yala and Kakamega High School have already secured their semi-final places and qualification for the FEASSSA Games. Having achieved their first objective, both unbeaten sides will now turn their attention to maintaining their perfect records before launching their quest for the 2026 KSSSA national football title.