Kenya has officially launched its four-year sprint toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games, sending both able-bodied and para-badminton contingents into two pivotal early-season tournaments that could shape the continent’s qualification landscape.
Two tournaments, one mission
From today until February 15, Kenya’s shuttlers will be split across two continents: the All Africa Senior Championships in Gaborone, Botswana, and the BWF World Para-Badminton Championships in Manama, Bahrain.
These events mark the first major ranking window of the new Olympic cycle, where continental medals and world championship points will begin to carve out Africa’s path to Los Angeles.
Strategy and preparation
Team manager Benson Owano framed the trips as the opening chapter of a long campaign. “This is the first step for us,” he said, praising three weeks of intensive training and thanking the government for its backing.
The federation’s aim is clear: accumulate ranking points, sharpen match fitness, and build momentum that will carry into continental championships and World Tour events over the next two seasons.
Gaborone lineup and ambitions
In Botswana, Kenya’s senior squad will contest the team event from February 9–12, followed by individual competitions from February 13–15. Captain Sammy Sikoyo leads a men’s roster featuring John Wanyoike, Dennis Simiyu, Wilkie Keragori, Joseph Githitu, Patrick Kinyua, and Edwin Akwanyi.
On the women’s side, veteran Jacinta Sengera will skipper a unit anchored by national number one Naomi Wandili, alongside Brittney Misoy, Blessing Buyanzi, and Yvonne Mwikali.
The objective in Gaborone is twofold: chase continental medals and harvest crucial ranking points that will lift Kenya’s standing ahead of the next Olympic qualification windows.
Bahrain and the para-badminton charge
In Manama, Kenya’s para-badminton hopes rest on the shoulders of Africa’s top-ranked star Anthony Ojwang (SH6), who will captain a talented squad that includes Mary Nduku (SL3), Benson Nduva (SL4), Caleb Omollo (SU5), Elizabeth Nabwire (SL4), Corrine Mwangi (SH6), and wheelchair athlete Ann Syombua.
Several of these players are fresh from a breakthrough at the 2025 World Ability Sport Beach Games in Turkey, where Kenya claimed two golds and vaulted multiple athletes into the continent’s elite rankings.
Medals in Bahrain would not only be historic but also deliver the ranking points that could translate into Paralympic slots once the qualification window opens.
Beyond medals
These assignments are more than short-term ambitions; they are the first competitive tests in a four-year odyssey to deliver Kenya’s strongest-ever badminton showing on the Olympic and Paralympic stage.
Strong performances now will set the tone, attract attention from scouts and sponsors, and give players the confidence to push through the grueling qualification calendar ahead.
The bigger picture
Kenya’s dual deployment underscores a growing belief: the nation is ready to compete across all levels of badminton.
With strategic planning, government support, and a crop of players rising through both able-bodied and para ranks, the journey to Los Angeles has begun—and the first steps in Gaborone and Manama could prove decisive.
