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Kenyan juniors on a roll in Eastern Africa tennis tournament
From left to right: Malia Mong'ina, Naila Gikunda, Imani Kavuisya, Muyanze Kahi, Indiatsi Olembo and Fidel Castral pose for a photo before the Eastern Africa tennis championships for 12-year-olds and under in Dar es Salaam on July 29, 2025.
Kenya has continued posting impressive results in International Tennis Federation/Confederation of African Tennis Eastern Africa Junior team competition in Dar es Salaam. On Wednesday, Kenya beat Rwanda 3-0 in the tournament.
Kenya’s Indiatsi Olembo triumphed (6-0, 6-3) against Bimenyimana Kian from Rwanda, then Muyanze Kahi of Kenya won 7-5, 6-1 against Response Dushime from Rwanda, and the Kenyan duo of Fidel Nyabera and Olembo won 6-3, 6-1 against the Rwandan duo of Dushime and Shalom Irampumurije in boys’ category.
On Thursday, Kenya, seeded second, handed Seychellois opponents the same treatment in the tournament. Kahi defeated Jamis Moustouche 6-1, 6-0, while Nyabera whitewashed Nelson Cupidon 6-0, 6-0 in the singles category of the tournament for players aged 12 and under, before Kahi and Olembo paired up to dismiss Dyan Laporte and Moustache 6-2, 6-0 in doubles.
In the girls’ category, top-seeds Kenya blanked Uganda 3-0 on Thursday. Naila Gikunda outclassed Heidi Kayesu 6-0, 6-0, while Malia Orendo overcame Amanda Ssenyomo 6-0, 6-1. Gikunda then teamed up with Imani Kavuisya to sink Hannah Babaya and Ssenyomo 6-0, 6-3 in the doubles category. Olembo and Gikunda were part of last year’s squad, but the rest of the players in Team Kenya are new. to thew national team.
The championship has also attracted players from Ethiopia, Burundi, and the Comoros, and is a qualifier event for African Championships that will be held later this year. The best two boys’ teams and a similar number of girls’ teams will advance to the continental event. Kenya is defending the girls’ title, having topped the category in Dar es Salaam last year. Kenya finished second behind Burundi in the boys’ category last year.
Meanwhile, the senior women’s national team was due in Namibia on Thursday evening to compete in Billie Jean King Africa Group III Cup.
The team left Nairobi earlier on Thursday.
Coached by Francis Rogoi, the team is made up of African Games doubles silver medalists Angella Okutoyi, and Cynthia Wanjala, and Alicia Owegi, 21.
Okutoyi, Wanjala, and Owegi are students at Auburn, Cowley, and Alabama universities in the USA, respectively. Also in the team is local-based Stacy Yego,17. Melissa Mwakha will join the team in Windhoek from Zimbabwe where she is based.
Other nations competing in the Billie Jean King Africa Group III Cup include Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Botswana, Madagascar, Ghana, Uganda, and hosts Namibia. Kenya hosted the event in 2023 and 2024 at Nairobi Club, finishing third both times. Like last year, the winners of the three groups will qualify for the final playoffs, while the bottom three will fight relegation.
