The Kenya Junior Boys team leaves today for Japan, where they will compete in the 2026 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup at the Chukyo Golf Club's Ishino Course from next Tuesday.
The team will represent Africa alongside the South African junior golf champions at this global event, having qualified during this year's All Africa Junior Golf Championship (AAJGC), which took place at the Windsor Golf, Hotel and Country Club from March 23-26. The Kenyan boys' and girls' teams finished second behind South Africa.
Usually, only the winning boys' and girls' teams qualify for the world event, depending on how many countries participate in the AAJTC.
The Kenyan trio of Mwathi Gicheru, Junaid Manji and Tsevi Soni have been training under the guidance of coach John van Liefland, who will accompany the team to Japan alongside team manager James Ondigo, who is also the president of the Junior Golf Foundation (JGF).
The Kenyan team will compete against the world's top junior golfers, with 12 countries participating in the boys' division and nine in the girls' division.
Ondigo expressed confidence in the team's ability to rise to the challenge of competing against the world's best junior golfers.
"Qualifying for the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup is a tremendous achievement for our boys, and reflects the progress that junior golf continues to make in Kenya," he said.
From left: National team players for All Africa Junior Teams Championship Kanana Muthomi, Bianca Ngecu, Captain Belinda Wanjiru, Junaid Manji, Yuvraj Rajput, Mwathi Gicheru and coach Ali Khimji at Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club on March 10, 2026.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
"Mwathi, Junaid and Tsevi have worked extremely hard to earn this opportunity and we are confident that they will represent Kenya and Africa with pride, determination and sportsmanship. Competing at this level will be invaluable to their development as golfers and ambassadors of the game."
This qualification marks a significant milestone for Kenyan junior golf, as well as the country's return to the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup after a 16-year absence.
The 2026 tournament will mark the 32nd edition of the championship, which began in 1992. Kenya last competed in 2008, when the team comprised Nadeem Alibhai, Stefan Andersen, Greg Snow and George Munyao, under coach Elisha Kasuku.
Kenya first participated in the event in 2001, with Lee Njoroge, Rachit Patel, Rizwan Charania and Njuguna Ngugi making up the Kenyan team. The latter two players are now among Kenya’s leading professionals.
Kenya Golf Federation President Philip Ochola said: "On behalf of the federation, I congratulate the players, coaches, and the entire Junior Golf Foundation on this outstanding achievement. Their qualification is a testament to the dedication of our young golfers and the strength of Kenya's junior golf development pathway."
He added: "The Toyota Junior Golf World Cup offers an opportunity for Kenya to showcase its talent on the world stage, and we wish Team Kenya every success as they proudly represent both the nation and the African continent in Japan.”
