Chebarbar 7s!! A big hoax

Uasin Gishu county is probably one of the most endowed counties within the Kenyan domain. Envied by Nairobians for it's Perfect weather all through the year no wonder it's been christened the "bread basket" of this country. You will be greeted by picturesque fields of corn and wheat as you approach the county from whichever road you take, a testimony of it's massive potential. Dairy farming is an economic activity in this region too, most of the animal products are processed locally and sold in Eldoret city and other adjacent towns. Logging has long been practiced as well with sawmills in Burnt forest and Timboroa commercial plantations. The true allure of this place rests on the people, standards of living and the magnificent weather. This area has constantly churned seasoned athletes particularly in the sector of long distance races owing to it's high altitude. But with rugby gradually gaining popularity in Kenya, the county has all but adjusted with the dynamics of time and as a result organised an annual rugby tournament dubbed Chebarbar 7s. Being an ardent fan of rugby and of course a player I've always attended most tourneys but for some reason the first edition of Chebarbar 7s which was unveiled sometime last year eluded me. I can't tell for sure how it went down but hearsay painted a very vibrant picture. Most people told me it was a beauty to be in Eldoret during the tourney, I felt rather wasted but knew I was never going to make a mistake again. So when the second edition of the tourney beckoned I knew exactly where to be. I must admit that the tournament looked promising on the first day, teeming with large crowds even though some teams never showed up. This was unlike this place, because Eldoret 10s rugby tournament which was hosted at the same venue a few months earlier was a far cry from this one. It was characterised by poor planning and shoddy work in all areas. I just couldn't comprehend how and why things had changed so fast, stereotypes could be a big miss sometimes. The moods on a brisk Saturday morning was great as everything kicked off in accordance with the programme. But if it's good it remains just that, however unpleasant experiences stir discontent. Being a participant in this particular event meant contending for the accolade. My team did well, winning all matches but tasted defeat at the final against worthy opponents. This was clearly not a matter of life and death because even the runners up position is equally prestigious in the game of rugby. Just to attempt to expand on your knowledge on rubgy, there are five or more accolades awarded to contenders at different levels. Even the lowly ranked teams in a tournament have a chance to take home some silverware. They include the cup, plate, bowl and shield and in some instances the spear respectively. However the the runners up cannot get any of these but is entitled to something lucrative because of aggregate points. In essence the runners up is second only to the cup winner and therefore legible to getting cash prize if any. Well,  according to Chebarbar facilitators top three teams were to be awarded cash prizes but upon realising that the key beneficiaries would be "us" (not a team within Uasin Gishu) they manipulated the story in their favour. The money was therefore channelled to other teams by virtue of being "local teams". I have always loathed engaging with bigots who deem others opinions as trash. Seriously why would somebody elect to go against the rules which they understand only too well just because the outcome of something doesn't tickle their fancy. This treatment left many players gutted and most if not all swore never to take part in this tournament ever again. I did some research and realised a bevy of accomplished teams always fail to honour the tournament simply because it's somewhat a dicey affair. It's still a pity that some people termed it as a success even though the most fundamental issues were never addressed. I may not just say it was the worst tournament but a big hoax. And I don't intend to believe that folks from this region are accustomed to such underwhelming show of hospitality, but then again experiences tell no lies.

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