Kenya will be eyeing to clinch the main title when they line up in Kampala, Uganda for the Africa junior girls cricket championships.

Six teams led by defending champions Tanzania, hosts Uganda, Kenya, Botswana, Mozambique and Rwanda will be battling it out for the tournament, which starts on Dec. 8-10.

Head coach Peter Ongondo said Kenya is ready for the challenge having settled for the runners up slot during last year's competition in Dar es Salaam. Tanzania won the event.

"We have every reason to exhibit the best game. Kenyans are expectant after election of a new office. We are all excited," said Ongondo Wednesday in Nairobi.

"The championship in Kampala will certainly give our players a chance to showcase their talent, gain experience and have first hand feeling of playing at the big stage under pressure away from home. It will set the tone to move forward."

Kenya have named a squad of 14 players for the tournament. Only seven players have been retained in the team that was in Dar es Salaam last year.

Those making their inaugural show with the national team will be Daisy Wairimu, Rose Awuor, Esther Wangare, Edith Wanjiku and Jackline Adhiambo. Both Mako Wako and Caroline Nduku missed last year's tournament, but have been drafted in the team to Kampala.

The players impressed during the national junior girls championship, which were staged in Nakuru in August. Some players were also picked during the schools games.

Captain Quinta Aoko, Jane Achieng, Hannah Ngina, Wairimu and Ruth Omwemo will spearhead Kenya's batting.

"It's good seeing some of our experienced players guiding the new ones and hope they will do well at the big stage," said the coach.

Meanwhile, Kenya sports minister Ababu Namwamba will travel together with the national women team to the ICC World Cup Twenty20 Africa qualifiers tournament in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from Dec. 15-20.

At stake in the regional qualifiers for Africa are two slots in the T20 World Cup, which will be held in April 2014 in Bangladesh. The qualifying process for the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 will be staged in all five regions.

Kenya is pooled in Africa division one together with host Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana, Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda and Sierra Leone. The winner will meet the winners of Africa division two Ghana, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Seychelles, Swaziland and Zambia.

"I will accompany the team. It is my hope that they will qualify and return back the legacy we had sometimes back in the game," said Namwamba.

Namwamba lauded Cricket Kenya (CK) for conducting a peaceful election where Jackie Janmohamed was chairperson and the first woman to head a cricket federation globally.

Janmohamed has thanked Namwamba and the government for showing interest to get involved and inject support in cricket saying that she believes the state will fulfill all the pledges that have already been made. Endi

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