Kenya Divas shine as compatriots Net Kings stumble in Africa Netball Cup Openers

BY Geoffrey Anene

Hosts Kenya endured a mixed opening day at the Africa Netball Cup at Kasarani Indoor Arena on Saturday, September 19, with the Kenya Divas sweeping aside debutantes Nigeria 61-40 in the women’s competition after the Net Kings had suffered a 45-33 loss against Uganda in the men’s tournament opener.

The contrasting results left the home crowd celebrating the women’s emphatic victory while giving the men plenty to ponder ahead of their next assignment.

Inspired by Zimbabwe-based goal shooter Lydia Nyapere, La Divas took control from the opening whistle against Nigeria and led 19-9 after the first quarter.

Under new Zimbabwean coach Tapiwa Chirenda and assistant coach Evelyn Jerono, Kenya continued to widen the gap, taking a commanding 37-20 lead into halftime.

Nigeria responded in the third quarter, winning the period 12-10, but Kenya still entered the final quarter with a 47-32 advantage. The hosts then regained their momentum, reaching 56-35 with 6:47 remaining and 59-35 with five minutes left before closing out a 21-goal victory.

Kenya captain Parin “Sister” Simiyu credited the home crowd and the team’s improved transition play for the victory.

“We really thank Kenyans for coming in large numbers and supporting us because the support has been so powerful and it has really impacted us,” added Simiyu.

She explained that Kenya had worked particularly hard on transition, an area she identified as a weakness in previous matches.

“Our major problem has been transition, but we worked on it and, upon that, we thank God because the victory is ours,” she said.

Ranked 21st in the world, Kenya Divas had prepared entirely at home, training at the Kasarani Annex grounds and Kasarani Indoor Arena without playing an international friendly before the tournament.

Nigeria, meanwhile, trained in the United Kingdom and played a warm-up match against the Eswatini men on Friday.

Nigeria head coach Alison Akinrinola said her side had made the most of limited preparation time after trials in June.

“Our girls did really, really well,” observed Akinrinola. “We haven't had a lot of time to get them together and to prepare like we would have liked to have prepared, but we've done the best that we actually could.”

Akinrinola said the match had given Nigeria a clear indication of the level required at the continental championship.

“I think that it was a great match because it kind of showed us what the level is and where we need to go,” she noted.

She also revealed that Nigeria had been forced to deploy players outside their usual positions, including shooters playing goal attack, because of the limited preparation period.

The Jamaican-Nigerian coach nevertheless expressed optimism about Nigeria’s prospects in the competition.

“I'd like to think that we could only get better and we can only improve and we can only just go up from here,” she said.

For Chirenda, the victory represented an important first step after only a month in charge.

“I was actually impressed with the way the girls played,” he explained, highlighting improvements in Kenya’s transition game.

He also warned that Nigeria should not be underestimated despite the margin of defeat.

“They are good. They are pretty good, and they are going to be a problem. Come the next two years, they're going to be a very big problem,” predicted Chirenda.

Kenya will face Malawi next, with Chirenda expecting another demanding test.

“Tomorrow (September 20) we've got Malawi, one of the best teams in Africa, but the girls are not afraid. They are willing to go at them,” he said.

Simiyu also acknowledged the challenge, noting that Malawi are ranked among Africa’s leading sides and had just competed at the Commonwealth Games.

The Divas’ victory came shortly after the opening ceremony, which was addressed by Kenya Netball Federation officials, representatives from Africa Netball and a representative of the Cabinet Secretary for Sports.

A minute of silence was also observed in honour of a Ugandan umpire who died after having trained in Nairobi just three days before the tournament.

Earlier, the Net Kings had suffered a difficult start to their campaign, losing 45-33 to Uganda in the opening match of the men’s competition.

Kenya fell behind 13-6 in the first quarter and trailed 25-15 at halftime. The hosts briefly reduced the deficit to seven goals at 28-21, but Uganda restored control to lead 38-25 after three quarters.

The visitors stretched their advantage to 44-27 in the final period before Kenya mounted a late response to make it 44-32. Uganda added another goal to seal the 45-33 victory.

Kenya committed a series of unforced errors, including blind passes, misplaced throws, footwork infringements and obstruction, which Uganda repeatedly punished.

Net Kings coach Peter Oloo expressed disappointment with some umpiring decisions, but accepted that his players had also contributed to their problems.

“The game was tough as expected because Uganda is a very strong side. We have never defeated their national team,” said Oloo.

“One positive we draw from the match is that this time round our margin of loss was not that huge like in 2025. Umpires made a lot of wrong calls against us, but I also admit we made errors such as mispasses, incorrect throwing, footworks and obstruction. On the overall, we had a bad day in office.”

Oloo disclosed that Kenya would review the match before taking on Malawi, which he described as a must-win encounter.

Uganda coach Jesse Asiimwe said his side had learned from the defeats suffered by Ugandan clubs against Kenya’s Ulinzi during the East Africa Clubs Championships in May.

“It was a good derby,” said Asiimwe, who coaches Kampala University.

“Ugandan clubs lost to Ulinzi during the East Africa Clubs Championships in May and we took the lessons. Playing the hosts in the opening match is something tricky. However, we managed to capitalise on their weaknesses.”

Asiimwe added that Uganda’s victory was significant after finishing fifth at the 2025 edition, one place behind Kenya.

“Beating Kenya which finished the last edition above us is already a milestone for us. We finished fifth and they were fourth in 2025. Our target in this championship is to win it,” he said.

In the other men’s match, South Africa fought back from an eight-goal halftime deficit to beat Eswatini 43-36.

Eswatini led 11-9 after the first quarter and extended the advantage to 22-14 at halftime. South Africa rallied in the third quarter, drawing level at 27-27 before the teams went into the final period tied 29-29.

South Africa then took control, moving 40-32 ahead before closing out the seven-goal victory.

South Africa coach Shiko Mokaila praised his players for recovering from their slow start, while Eswatini assistant coach Wandile Sithole said his side had lost concentration after holding the advantage for long periods.

In the women’s competition, defending champions South Africa opened with an emphatic 89-22 victory over Tanzania, while Malawi trounced Zambia 72-38. Botswana lost 57-39 to Zimbabwe in the other women's fixture.

The women’s competition features 10 teams — Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana — and doubles as the African qualifier for the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney, Australia.

South Africa and Uganda have already secured World Cup places through their world rankings, where they are fifth and sixth respectively.

The men's tournament is being played on a round-robin basis involving Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Malawi and Eswatini.