Hit Squad head coach Benjamin Musa/HANDOUT Kenya national boxing team head coach Benjamin Musa has set a firm tone for the new season, insisting that the revamped Hit Squad must deliver medals on the international stage as pressure mounts to reverse the country’s recent decline in elite boxing performance.
Speaking after finalising a provisional squad drawn from the Kenya Open semifinals and finals, Musa said the mandate is clear: restore Kenya’s lost dominance and deliver podium finishes across a congested global calendar.
“Our primary target for this new-look squad is to secure medals across every global tournament and reclaim our dominant position in continental boxing,” Musa said, setting an uncompromising tone for the season ahead. The Hit Squad now faces one of its busiest international schedules in recent memory, with seven major assignments lined up across four continents.
The campaign opens with World Cup 1 in Brazil, before shifting immediately to World Cup 2 in China between June 13 and 22.
From there, the team will travel to Scotland for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games set for July 23 to August 2, before turning attention to the Elite World Men's Boxing Championships in September.
The calendar then intensifies further with the Africa Boxing Championships in Nairobi, the Africa Youth Olympics in Dakar, and finally the World Cup Finals in Uzbekistan on November 25.
“This packed calendar means we need boxers who are physically resilient and tactically versatile to handle back-to-back elite competitions,” Musa noted, highlighting the physical and mental demands awaiting his squad.
The selection reflects a blend of proven performers and emerging talent, with Musa insisting that only boxers who reached the semifinal and final stages of the Kenya Open earned their place in the provisional group. The elite men’s roster includes Chris Musyoki, Dennis Muthama, David Karanja, Emmanuel Omollo, Boniface Mogunde, Christopher Juma, Ben Juma, Ayub Waweru, Edwin Okong’o, Robert Okaka, Peter Abuti, Hezron Maganga, and Fred Ramogi.
On the women’s side, the squad features Elizabeth Andiego, Friza Anyango, Pauline Chege, Veronica Mbithe, Amina Martha, Lancer Akinyi, Cynthia Mwai, and Emily Juma, forming a balanced unit aimed at strengthening Kenya’s presence across weight categories. “All winners in the semis and finals of the Kenya Open are part of this provisional squad because they proved their readiness in the ring,” Musa explained, defending the merit-based selection process.
Musa also pointed to a tactical shift in preparation, noting that Kenya is adapting to evolving international judging systems that increasingly reward precision, speed, and clean scoring over volume punching. “We are analysing the technical changes introduced by international judges so that our boxers score cleanly and defend intelligently,” he said.
Training has already begun at local gyms, with plans underway to centralise preparations in a residential camp ahead of the team’s departure for Brazil. The camp is expected to sharpen tactical discipline and improve cohesion across the squad. For Musa, the message remains consistent: preparation must translate into performance.
“Travelling with a highly prepared and complete unit will significantly increase our chances of bringing home tournament medals,” he concluded, as Kenya’s boxing revival project steps into its most demanding test yet.
