Rintaugu, E.G.Akpata, D.O.2015-09-302015-09-301999http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/13703Research ArticleThis study investigated the relationship between participation in competitive sports and academic performance of secondary school students in Kenya. It was hypothesized that athletes will have better academic performance than non-athletes. Gender, type of school, social economic status (SES), Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (K.C.P.E.) marks and participation in competitive sports were used as independent variables, while academic performance was regarded as the dependent variable. Data were collected from 490 subjects randomly selected from 15 secondary schools within Nairobi Province of Kenya. Questionnaires, interviews and school records were used for data collection. Data were analysed through MANOVA and Tukey H.SD. tests. Findings revealed that athletes consistently performed better than non-athletes. It was also found that SES, K.C.P.E. and type of school correlated positively with academic performance while sex did not. It was recommended that competitive sports be emphasized in secondary schools because it is not detrimental to academic performance.enSecondary school studentsCompetitive sportsAcademic performanceAthletesNon-athletesKenyaArticle