KSSSA retains the Under 19 age rule for secondary school games' participants.

KSSSA Retains the Under 19 age rule for participation at the Secondary Schools Games: 2020 KSSSA Rules

| December 3, 2025 | KSSSA School Games News | No Comments
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The Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) has maintained that all students participating in Secondary school games must be under 19 years old. According to the body that runs Secondary school games in Kenya, the ruling by the High Court, that declared age limit ceiling rule in school championships will not be observed during KSSSA run activities.
 
  KSSSA Secretary General David Ngugi had warned that the court’s decision would see the comeback of ineligible players (mercenaries). Kenya will risk missing out on the East Africa games if the age rule cap is lifted.
 
  In June 2019, Justice Eric Ogola had ruled that section 17 (iii) of the KSSSA constitution discriminates students who are aged above 19 years noting that provisions of the constitution of Kenya outlaw any discrimination in public bodies or institutions. A KSSSA full council meeting held in Nairobi this week has put the matter to rest thus quashing those opposed to the age rule cap.

KSSSA RULES

In 2019, the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) limited the number of foreign players to be included in a school’s team. KSSSA had allowed schools to add a maximum of 4 foreign players to their teams and all these players can be fielded at the same time.
 
  But, for other team games (basketball, hockey, Rugby, volleyball, netball, and handball) schools would be allowed to include a maximum of three foreign players; with only two featuring for the team during a match at a time.
 
   KSSSA also limited the number of players that a school can transfer from another school. Consequently, no school would be allowed to transfer more than 2 players from another (same) school. At the same time, the Ministry had also put a ceiling on the number of participants per team as shown below:
  1. Swimming- 15 participants
  2. Badminton- 6
  3. Hockey- 20
  4. Basketball- 12
  5. Cross Country- 6
  6. Volleyball- 12
  7. Netball- 14
  8. Handball- 14
  9. Rugby 7’s- 11
  10. Rugby 15’s- 20
  11. Athletics- 2 per event
  12. Soccer- 20
  13. Table Tennis- 6
  14. Lawn Tennis- 4

Here are links to the most important news portals:

OTHER RULES

Apart from the ceiling on the number of participants, the following rules shall also be in force:
  •  Under 19 years rule: Schools will also be expected to field participants who are under 19 years old in all other disciplines apart from soccer under 16. For this year, 2020;
  1. Under 19 players must have been born on or after 1st September, 2000.
  2. While, Under 16 players should have been born on or after 1st December, 2004.
  • The 90 day rule: As has been the norm, only students who have stayed in their respective schools for at least 90 days prior to the official commencement of the term one games (at Zonal level) will be eligible for participation. This rule does not, though, affect form ones, but new students in other forms must have reported to school by 15th November of the preceding year for them to be eligible. For 2020 a student must have reported to the current school by 15th November, 2019. It is important to note that this rule does not affect the 2019 form ones.
  •  Repeaters: Students repeating in any class will not be allowed to participate during the repeating year. Such students can nevertheless be allowed to participate in the following year. This rule bars all form four repeaters from taking on to the fields of play; during the repeating year.
  • The six year rule: According to KSSSA, a student may participate at the secondary schools’ championships for a maximum period of six continuous years. For this year a student is expected to have sat for the KCPE exams on or after 2014.
  • Fielding of Foreign Students (Foreign players are those from other countries; outside Kenya): Effective 2019, a team shall be expected to have a maximum of three foreign players. According to the new rules, schools will only be allowed to field two of the three foreign players at any given playing time.
  • Rule on players who have already qualified to the East Africa Games (FEASSSA); According to KSSSA rules, a player from a team that has already qualified to represent Kenya in East African games shall not be allowed to participate in another game/discipline for that particular sports year. This implies that players who have already qualified to FEASSSA games, from the recently concluded term one games, will not take part in the term two games.
  •  Documentation: For schools presenting teams, the players/ competitors must have:
  1. Ministry of Education Declaration Form duly filled and signed by principal, coach and rubber-stamped with all participants details including UPI number. The Principal must commit him/ herself in writing if a student is missing on the NEMIS.
  2. A copy of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education, KCPE, certificate; certified by the Principal. (For form ones, they will be required to have a copy of their KCPE result slip).
  3. A4 size group photo with the specified number of players for that event with only the Principal and coach posing with the players in the photo. The photo should be certified by the principal and rubberstamped at the back. A coach who is not a teacher in the school shall not sit on the bench or actively interfere with the game/team.
  4. A copy of the birth certificate also certified by the principal.
  5. A photo Album (Spreadsheet) certified by the Principal.
  6. The school Identity Card bearing the student’s details as indicated on the team list.
  7. 6 copies of team lists on school letterhead.
  8. All the above documents MUST be in a file clearly labelled with school name and the discipline/game.
Please note that;
  • The school’s ID card and team list must indicate the name,admission number,date of admission,date of birth, class and KCPE year.
  • In case of transfer of a student, it should be indicated in the ID, date of transfer and school transferred from.
  • In case of repeaters,it should clearly be indicated in the ID, the year of repeating and class.
  • The school stamp must touch both the photo and the card and must not obscure the face. All these must be presented during Zonal, Divisional, sub-county, county, regional as well as National competitions.
Additionally;
  1. Date refers to day, month and year.
  2. Composite teams will not require a group photo with the head of the institution.
  3. Students transferring from one school to another school’s team shall not exceed two (2), if more than two, then all will not be eligible to play for a period of one year.
Why a team may be disciplined/ Banned.
According to the revised Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) constitution a team may be banned due to any of the following reason (s):
  •  Fielding an ineligible player. The following scenarios describe who an ineligible player is:
  1.  A student who has not met the 90 days rule.
  2. A student with faulty documents i.e. details not matching in the ID, team list and photoalbum (Spreadsheet).
  3. Not meeting the age rule-10 years and below.
  4. Not meeting the 6 year rule after KCPE.
  5. Not meeting the transfer rule.
  6. Not adhering to the international student transfer rule.
  •  Indiscipline; This includes:
  1. Fighting during the championships, whether one or more players involved the whole team will be banned. Anybody who fights in the games village shall be expelled from the games village and the championship.
  2. Stealing.
  3. Roughing referees and officials.
  4. Roughing the crowd and the opponents.
  • Carrying extra players to the games village; in cases where players reside within designated villages/ schools.
FOR A COMPLETE GUIDE TO ALL SCHOOLS IN KENYA CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW; Here are links to the most important news portals:
Guidelines on conduct of Co-curriccular activities by TSC
The Teachers Service Commission, TSC, also released guidelines on protection of learners while on Co- Curricular activities. Via a circular released last year and which is still in force, TSC holds that:
 
  “ALL Principals/Headteachers SHALL ensure that for any co-curricular activity (games and sports, music, drama, scouts, girl guides, educational tours, congresses, exchange programmes, debates, symposia, contests etc) within and/or outside the school, pupils/students are accompanied by at least one registered teacher of the same sex depending on the number of students/pupils involved in the activities.
 
  Persons NOT registered as teachers (including teachers whose names have been removed from the register of teachers) should not be incorporated in the school programmes (including co-curricular activities) to teach, handle, manage, coach, supervise and/or assist in the teaching, handling, managing, coaching, supervision of pupils/learners.”
BEST LINKS TO TSC SERVICES & DOCUMENTS; ONLINE
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