Kenya is ready to stage a historic Africa Netball World Cup qualifier, with technical officials undergoing intensive training ahead of the September championship that will determine Africa’s representatives at the 2027 World Cup in Sydney, Australia.
Kenya Netball Federation president Immaculate Kabutha said the three-day technical officials’ course at Moi International Sports Centre (MISC), Kasarani, concluded on Monday, with participants equipped with skills to manage the bench and undertake various technical duties during the tournament.
The Africa Netball Cup qualifiers will run from September 19 to 26 in Nairobi, bringing together 11 countries, with only two expected to secure qualification slots for the 2027 World Cup.
“It was very important for us to have this course because the Africa board has indicated that the host country always produces the technical officials,” Kabutha said.
The course was conducted by South African Netball tutor Magriet Bester, who took officials through the demanding requirements of scoring, goal recording and other technical responsibilities.
Kabutha stressed the importance of accuracy among officials to minimise complaints during matches.
“For our national team, we are really prepared for the Africa qualifiers. We know there is a challenge because out of the 10 countries, only two countries are expected to qualify,” she said.
Kenya’s men’s and women’s teams have been training at Kasarani for the past month, with Kabutha expressing confidence that both sides are capable of securing one of the two available tickets.
She said participating teams had been advised to use Stadion Hotel, although accommodation and welfare arrangements remain the responsibility of individual countries. Other hotels around Kasarani have also been made available to the visiting teams.
Kabutha described the championship as a landmark event for Kenya and East Africa, noting that the region has never hosted an African championship or qualifier.
She thanked Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya and other stakeholders for their support, saying Kenya’s hosting capacity had been enhanced by the installation of an audience plan floor donated through World Netball and South Africa.
According to Kabutha, the new facility gives Kenya the capacity to host more international tournaments to world standards.
Kenya has previously travelled to South Africa, Namibia and Malawi for competitions, with the three countries also having benefited from World Netball floors.
“This is something very big for us in East Africa and something big for us in Kenya,” she said.
The qualifiers will feature Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Uganda, South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Tanzania and Nigeria.
Kenya has never qualified for the Netball World Cup, while Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe have previously featured at the global tournament.
