Muthaiga Golf Club's Jay Sandhu in action during the 2026 NCBA Muthaiga Open/HANDOUT
Sandhu is joined by fellow Muthaiga member and
recent NCBA Ruiru Open champion Eugene Wafula at the event scheduled for Friday through Sunday.
Also
expected to challenge strongly are NCBA Coronation & Bendor Trophy winner
Ebill Omollo, NCBA Ronald Marshall & Toby Gibson Matchplay champion Elvis
Muigua, and Kiambu Open winner John Kamaisi.
Former
champion Balala will be seeking a return to winning ways at a venue
where he has enjoyed dominance in recent years.
The Nyali Golf & Country Club golfer won
the Kabete Open in 2021, 2022, and again in 2024, and will be looking to add a
fourth title to his impressive record.
Regional interest will be led by reigning 2026 NCBA Goldfields Trophy champion Hitayezu Jean D'Amour of Rwanda, who arrives in Nairobi fresh from his victory in Kakamega last weekend.
He will be joined by fellow Rwandans Felix Dusabe, Alain
Niyonkuru, Jacques Byiringiro, and Didas Kamusumari.
Uganda have assembled a formidable contingent led by Abraham Olupot, Michael
Tumusiime, Godfrey Kambale, Cosmas Ocitti, Samuel Bazaale, and Elton Thembo,
all of whom will be seeking to challenge for honours.
The
tournament is guaranteed to crown a new champion after defending champion
Pranay Kapur of Royal Johannesburg Golf Club opted not to return to defend his
title.
Kapur won
the 2025 edition after edging a strong field to become the first foreign golfer
to lift the trophy.
The region's
leading amateur golfers as they battle for the title, valuable World Amateur
Golf Ranking (WAGR) points, Order of Merit points, and a share of the Sh500,000
prize purse.
Played over
54 holes in a stroke-play format, all competitors will play the opening 36
holes before the field is cut to the top 33 players and ties for the final
round. The winner will walk away with Sh115,000.
The championship has attracted players from Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi.
The event
comes at a crucial stage of the KAGC season, with players chasing valuable
Order of Merit points as the race for honours intensifies, approaching the
midpoint of the championship calendar.
NCBA Group Managing Director John Gachora said the
NCBA Kabete Open has consistently attracted some of the strongest fields on the
amateur circuit, and this year's championship is no exception.
“The quality
of players assembled this week reflects the continued growth of amateur golf in
Kenya and across the region. We are proud to support platforms that provide
golfers with opportunities to compete, develop their talent, and progress their
careers," said Gachora.
The NCBA
Kabete Open forms part of NCBA's broader commitment to supporting golf
development across the region through sustained investment in junior, amateur,
professional, and club golf
