Kenya Universities Esports League goes down in style
The world of esports and academia converged in an epic inaugural Kenya Universities Esports League (KUEL) at Mount Kenya University, bringing together 242 students from 35 universities. Participants competed in multiple titles, producing thrilling encounters that kept spectators on the edge of their seats.
Airel view of the Kenya University Esports League in action!
Beyond the competitive scene, gamers had the opportunity to engage in various challenges featuring Free Fire, courtesy of headline sponsor Carry1st where they competed for exciting prizes, including merchandise and in-game items like gems. An additional highlight was the Safaricom airtime giveaways, where gamers showcased their esports knowledge in fun challenges, all made possible by the incredible crew from Santiago Entertainment.
Queen Arrow, Kenya's leading esports icon poses at the sidelines of KUEL.
Kenya’s esports icon, Queen Arrow, herself a student from Catholic University led other gamers in sharing their joy, "To the organizers and partners of this event, thank you for giving an opportunity for Tekken 7 and other niche games to shine. Thank you so much for giving university students a chance to see what esports look like. I hope we will have more university students join the esports scene and contribute to make our esports stronger.”
The start studded event brought together Kenya’s leading esports figures like Eric Demon, fresh from competing in France at the Creation Africa tournament, Mickey Muhoro who represented Kenya at the IESF World Esports championship in Romania as well as popular caster Eugene Abuderby, among others.
Carry1st's Dominion Eromosele (in black) poses with gamers at the sidelines of KUEL
Carry1st’s Community Lead Dominion Erosomosele was full of praise for the event and underscored how it highlights esports growth in Kenya “Kenya is a very important market for us. We believe Kenya is the cultural epicenter for all that is happening in East Africa. We’ve seen today how the people and the gaming culture is amazing. It makes sense for us to be involved here, not just from a product stand point but also with events and community engagement like this.”
Mt. Kenya University student in action as the event MC. Showcasing student's involvement beyond the competition
Students also got an opportunity to showcase their skills beyond the competitive front doing an amazing work as photographers, MC’’s as well us taking part in the overall event management, all contributing to making the event a success.
IndexG Esports CEO Ronny Lusigi underscored the importance of such tournaments and promised more of the same. “Our universities can play an important role as the conveyor belts of esports talent in our country. It was amazing to see the joy that this tournament has brought to the students. We are definitely motivated to do even more of this. Gamers should stay tuned for more next semester.”