A seven-member Kenya Junior Golf Team has departed for Tunisia to compete in the 2025 All Africa Junior Team Championship (AAJTC), set for April 22–27 at the Residence Golf Course.
The AAJTC is Africa’s premier junior golf tournament, attracting elite teams from across the continent. The event features 54 holes of team competition among approximately 20 countries.
The Kenyan contingent—comprising four boys and three girls—was flagged off on Sunday by Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi at the Royal Nairobi Golf Club.
The boys’ team includes 17-year-old Junaid Manji (Sigona Golf Club), 16-year-old Nathan Mwangi (Karen Country Club), 15-year-old Tsevi Soni (Sigona Golf Club), and 14-year-old Justin Ngeera (Vet Lab Sports Club).
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Representing the girls are 15-year-old Belinda Wanjiru (Vet Lab Sports Club), and 17-year-old Hazel Kuria and 15-year-old Audrey Gachora, both from Muthaiga Golf Club.
The final team was selected from the National Provisional Junior Golf Squad—comprising 12 boys and 10 girls—based on training and rankings.
The squad had been in camp from May 2024 to February 2025, initially training every Tuesday and Thursday, later switching to Mondays and Wednesdays at Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club.
The final seven-member team was named on February 27, 2025, and has since undergone intensified training and course practice three days a week.
The players also participated in the NCBA Kenya Junior Strokeplay Championship and the Kabete Junior Open, gaining valuable tournament experience.
The team aims to build on its strong showing in South Africa, where the girls’ team finished second out of eleven, and the boys placed fourth out of fifteen—both improved results from 2023, when the girls came third and the boys sixth.
This year, Kenya targets podium finishes in both categories to secure qualification for the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan.
The team is under the guidance of coaches John Van Liefland and C.J. Wangai.
They departed for Tunisia on Monday, April 21, and are expected back on April 28.
During the flag-off ceremony, PS Mwangi congratulated the team and underscored the significance of the championship.
“The AAJTC presents a gilt-edged opportunity for Kenyan juniors to showcase their skills at the highest level in Africa. This team is ready to fly the Kenyan flag high,” he said.
“Looking at the journey they have taken to get here, we’re looking at winners—victors who will inspire many juniors in the years to come,” he added.
Mwangi affirmed the Ministry’s continued commitment to junior sports development and emphasized plans to deepen collaboration with the Junior Golf Foundation (JGF) to grow the sport.
JGF President Vincent Mukiri is the team’s head of delegation, while JGF Trustee Millicent Mello serves as team manager.
Mukiri expressed confidence in the team’s preparedness, citing their year-round training schedule.
“We have strategically planned for consistent training throughout the year. We’ve learned from past experiences and aim to be the top team on the continent,” he said.
He acknowledged South Africa as a tough competitor but maintained optimism.
“Some of our juniors are also part of the R&A High Performance Program, which aims to elevate golf in Africa. Our goal in Tunisia is to finish first or second and qualify for the 2025 Toyota Junior Golf World Cup.”
Mukiri also highlighted the broader impact of such tournaments, which help juniors pursue local and international scholarships through sports.
He extended gratitude to the players, parents, coaches, the Government of Kenya, and sponsors—particularly NCBA Bank—for their unwavering support in advancing junior golf in the country.
