Why Ugandan golfers are flocking to Kenya

Cash, World Amateur Golf Rankings, and a chance to qualify for the Magical Kenya Open is what has triggered the mushrooming of Uganda’s international amateur golfers to Kenya over the past two years.

Usually, winners of Kenya’s two top amateur events, the Kenya Amateur Match Play Championship, and the Kenya Open Amateur Stroke Play, automatically qualify to play in the Magical Kenya Open, the only DP World Tour event in East and Central Africa.

In addition to that, all 28 events in the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) also attract points towards the World Amateur Golf Rankings, as well as the KAGC series Order of Merit and the opportunity to win cash prizes for the top 20 finishers in every event.

In Uganda, there is no formal calendar of golf series as such, but a few tournaments at different clubs that are a minimum of 54 holes or 72 holes.

“We have a points system for each tournament in those gross events for both men and women, hence a ranking system for the amateur gross players for each event that qualifies as a World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Starting 2025, we shall have a formal golf series throughout the year like Kenya’s KAGC," said Paul Habyarimana, who is the executive member in charge of national team events and championships in the Uganda Golf Union (UGU).

He says the UGU is hoping to have events next year that complement the events in Kenya so that Kenyan amateurs can also travel to Uganda to participate.

“We have no problem with Ugandan amateurs coming to play in the KAGC series. It helps them keep at a high competitive level. We also support them where possible both locally and internationally to participate in competitive competitions," added Habyarimana.

By participating in the Kenyan events over the past three years, two of Uganda’s top amateurs, Michael Alunga and Godfrey Nsubuga, were able to earn golf scholarships to study in the United States of America.

Alunga, born in Fort Portal in Uganda on March 26, 1994, started his golfing career in 2009 through caddying. He got his handicap in 2011, and played for Ugandan national team in 2016, before coming to Kenya in 2022.

“I had very few tournaments in Uganda, mostly one-day events, so I decided to come to Kenya because there were many tournaments. My game was 50 percent good, but I gained a lot of experience.

Playing in Kenya motivated me as I was able to improve by 85 percent, and my performance enabled me to get the scholarship to study Sports Management in North Carolina," said Alunga.

Alunga scored his first KAGC victory in 2022 at Kericho's Teafields trophy, before winning the Manchester Salver and the Malindi Open. 

“Godfrey Nsubuga who is now in the USA on scholarship and I benefited after choosing to come to Kenya’’ added Alunga, who returned to Kenya this year and won a Championship title which earned him a place in next year’s Magical Kenya Open.

“I plan to come back next to play in the Kenya Open if I will be able to get a sponsor as it is a bit expensive coming from the USA," says Alunga, who wants every single figure handicap golfer in Uganda to come to Kenya. 

Andrew Ssekibejja, 28, who won the 2022 Uganda Open amateur title, and is based at Lake Victoria Serena Resort, says he started playing in Kenya last year to improve his game.

“There are tough players here so playing in most of the KAGC events has made me up my game," said Ssekibejja, whose best performance in Kenya is a second-place finish during the Ruiru Open won by John Lejirmah.

His prayer is to see Uganda start a similar series like the KAGC.

“My target is to compete here for the next two years before I think of turning professional’’ says Ssekibejja, who started his golfing career in 2017 at Lake Victoria Serena.

Also chasing his first Kenyan title is Joseph Cwinyaai, who lost to Alunga in the final of the Match Play Championship.

“I am grateful to the Kenya Golf Union for allowing Ugandan golfers to play here. This has made us improve our golf," says Cwinyaai.