After failing to secure government funding, a section of the national Scrabble team, the Word Warriors, has embarked on a long road journey to Lusaka, Zambia, for the 2026 East, Central and Southern Africa Scrabble Championships (ECASA) set for April 3–6, 2026.
Speaking on Monday in Nairobi, team captain Willy Mwangi said the 25-member squad will have some players travelling by road. He confirmed that he is among those opting for the road trip as the team seeks to defend both the team and individual titles.
“Some players are using the road after failing to secure government funding to facilitate travel. We have to fund ourselves because of the love of the game,” said Mwangi.
The road contingent departed Nairobi on Monday at 4 a.m. and will pass through Namanga, Arusha and Tunduma, with arrival in Lusaka expected on Wednesday evening—an approximately 2,393km one-way journey, or 4,786km for the round trip. The team will spend six days on the road, three each way.
“We expect to be in Lusaka by Wednesday. As a captain, we have done this before, and psychologically we are prepared. It will not affect our performance,” he said.
“With the games starting on Friday, arriving Wednesday gives us Thursday to rest. That means our performance will not be affected,” he added.
Mwangi expressed confidence that the team will be well-rested ahead of the competition. Team Kenya, comprising about 25 players, is expected to compete in the three-day championships running from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon.
The captain remains optimistic about Kenya’s chances of retaining both titles, citing the team’s depth and experience. He added that each player is expected to spend approximately KSh60,000 for the trip, with about KSh26,000 going towards transport.
The annual Easter weekend Scrabble championships have long been dominated by Kenya, with the country consistently clinching both overall team and individual titles.
In 2025, Allan Oyende anchored the national team to gold on home soil in Nairobi while also securing the individual title. This followed a similar performance in 2024, when Patrick Nderitu Gitonga won the individual crown and led the team to victory in Gaborone, Botswana.
In 2023, Willy Mwangi claimed the individual title, guiding Kenya to yet another team triumph. In 2022, Allan Oyende also led the country to victory, further cementing Kenya’s dominance in the region.
The championships were not held between 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, prior to the disruption, Kenya had already established a stronghold on the competition, winning three consecutive titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019 to complete a hat-trick.
