Every year, thousands of Kenyans follow the select few golfers who qualify for Kenya’s prestigious Golfing tournament, The Magical Kenya Open. Despite the sporting event’s huge turnout every year, in the thirty years that I have attended the Kenya Open, a Kenyan golfer has never won the tournament, and even worse, each year it seems like fewer Kenyans can make the cut. So, the question is, what will it take for a Kenyan to win the Magical Kenya Open?
Please note that this article is not concerned with seeing more Kenyans make the cut or play well in the Kenya Open. We have seen that many times and know it is possible. It is high time however that we see a Kenyan win the prestigious Magical Kenya Open. The reason that winning the Kenya Open would be a big deal for a Kenyan is because of the prize money that winning the Kenya Open comes with. In 2025, the winner of the Kenya Open walked away with Ksh 54.4 million from the tournament with second place taking home Ksh 35.2 million. Besides the winners of the tournament, the other big winners at the Kenya Open include suppliers who can make money by providing décor, security, tents, and sound for the weekend-long event that happens every year.
When the Kenyan Open is over and everyone leaves having had a great weekend of partying. What nobody thinks about is what happens to the Kenyan golfers who did not win or make the cut. What happens to them until the next Kenya Open? Don’t get us wrong, there is a calendar for professional golfers in Kenya that is packed with events throughout the year. But the biggest event on that calendar is the Kenya Open. During this prestigious Magical Kenya Open event, Kenyan golfers are forced to compete with international golfers who each weekend have high-level competitions that they play at where the prize money is at the level of or greater than the Kenya Open so by the time they are playing at Kenya Open which is a part of the DP tour they are already conditioned and in the routine and habit of playing high-level golf every weekend.
So, what we do every year with the Kenya Open is wrong because every year we get our hopes up expecting a Kenyan to win when the Kenyan golfers we have are not prepared for that. It is the opinion of this author that, a Kenyan will not win the Kenya Open because Kenyans have come out to see them play that weekend. What Kenyan professional golfers need is more chances and opportunities to play at international tournaments. This requires sponsorship to allow players to be able to travel and train. Kenyan golfers are good, many have even been able to get scholarships to go and study abroad. The level of playing we are talking about when we are talking about winning the Kenya Open has nothing to do with luck but everything to do with preparation. Give Kenyan golfers more international competitions, sponsorship to train and compete abroad, and more local competitions with higher prize money and see how the players improve. You have to give it up to both ABSA and NCBA for their support for Golf in Kenya, but it is not their responsibility alone.
We need to stop going to the Kenyan Open and WRC to watch others win in our own country. As much as we welcome people from anywhere in the world to visit and work in Kenya, We as Radio 254 also want to see Kenya and Kenyans win. We believe that it is possible to see a Kenyan win the Kenya Open but to do so they have to be given the tools to do so. Change does not happen without changing anything. We cannot expect a Kenyan to win as long as the biggest thing in Kenya remains the Kenya Open. Professional golfers in Kenya need more competitions they can play in and earn money which is how they eat outside from teaching golf lessons. Kenyan Professional golfers need to be looking and thinking bigger than the Kenya Open so that when the time for the Kenyan Open comes they are already at that level or used to playing at the level of the Kenya Open or better all the time. We cannot prepare and wait for Kenya open the whole year. Next year, let’s not prepare for the Kenya Open let’s prepare for something bigger than the Kenyan Open so that whenever the Kenya Open comes around, we know we have several Kenyans who can not only win but be able to play on that level or better. It might not happen next year but if we are intentional, we have what it takes.
Kenyan Golf Professionals can play golf, but we need them to play competitive golf. We know they can play golf; we see them do that all year round. We need them to compete now and that’s a completely different ball game. The stakes need to be a lot higher, that is the only way we are even going to be able to compete. We love having these big sporting events at home but are tired of being spectators. We need as many Kenyans finishing the Kenya Open as the one starting. Kenya Open is about getting to see how the pros do it and it’s high time that Kenyan pros also show the world how it’s done in Kenya and when they go abroad and compete there as well.
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