Prize money
Real cash for real skill, paid on the night. For many players it is the most they have earned in a week.
Moran Pool Club
Somewhere to go. Something to aim for. An initiative of Digital Moran CBO for young people in the villages of Kajiado South.
The problem
Pool Is Not the Problem. Having Nowhere Else to Go Is.
In Kenya, pool has a bad name. It is tied to idlers and to people written off as having no future. That weight falls hardest on rural youth.
Young people in town can choose from gyms, courts, clubs and cinemas. In the village there are no basketball, tennis or squash courts. The few swimming pools cost more than anyone can pay. There is nowhere indoors to play table tennis, draughts or scrabble. So they get football, and a pool table in a dim mabati joint where drink and drugs are always within reach.
People tell village youth to stay away from drugs, then write off the one pastime they have. We think the game can be a way out rather than a dead end, so we turn that table into a tournament, a network and, next, a proper youth space.
By the numbers
Real Prize Money, on the Table
Since May 2025 we have run five organised tournaments in two towns, with a public bracket and prizes paid on the night. The prize pool has almost doubled since the first one.
KES 125,000
Prize money paid since May 2025
5
Tournaments run in 2 towns
80
Player entries, 16 per tournament
KES 20,000
Biggest winner's pot
What we do
A Tournament Is Not Just Another Game Night
For a young person used to dim back rooms, an organised tournament opens a door. Look at who is around the table on a tournament night: for one evening nobody is an idler. Everyone is a player, a fan or a sponsor.
A network
Players meet business owners, leaders and older people in the community who once felt out of reach. Some have closed deals on the night.
Community
A new friend, a new crowd, a place to belong. People come to watch and stay to cheer.
A new question
Some find a real talent. Others start to ask where they are in life, and where they actually want to go.
A bracket the whole room can follow
Every tournament gets a live bracket cast to the TV at the venue, so the crowd can follow every rack. Seeds, scores and the road to the final, just like the pros.
See the tournaments
What comes next
A Youth Space of Our Own
Tournaments are how we start. One of the biggest goals of Digital Moran CBO is to build youth spaces in the village: clean, safe, well-lit places where young people can play, stay away from drink and drugs, and think about their futures calmly.
- Pool tables and cues, without the bar
- Table tennis, draughts and scrabble
- A room to study, meet and plan
- A direct link to Digital Moran's free digital skills training
Sponsor a Tournament. Equip a Youth Space.
Our prize pools have almost doubled since the first tournament. Your support keeps them growing while we build a permanent space for young people in Kajiado South.