Hosts Kenya enjoyed mixed fortunes on the second day of the 2026 Africa Netball Cup at Kasarani Indoor Arena on Sunday, with the Net Kings recovering from their opening-day defeat to Uganda by beating Malawi 52-38, while the Divas went down 55-47 to the same opponents.
The Net Kings bounced back after losing 45-33 to Uganda on Saturday. Malawi started brightly, leading 3-1, but Kenya settled quickly and the lead changed hands several times before the hosts took the opening quarter 14-13.
Malawi regained control in the second quarter and went into halftime 25-24 ahead after taking the period 12-10.
Kenya turned the match around after the breather, levelling at 25-25 before building their advantage through disciplined defending and sharper attacking play. They led 36-33 at the end of the third quarter.
The final quarter belonged to Kenya. Malawi briefly reduced the deficit to 34-36, but the introduction of fresh legs, including exprienced Oscar Liambila helped the Net Kings regain control. Kenya moved from 39-36 to 44-37 and eventually sealed a 52-38 victory after Malawi were reduced to six players following an ejection.
Goalshooter Christovin Juma led Kenya with 38 goals.
Coach Peter Oloo noted that Net Kings had reviewed their defeat to Uganda and corrected their mistakes.
“Having lost our first match against Uganda, we had to sit down and review video footages and make analysis on where we made mistakes,” explained Oloo.
He added that tactical changes and fresh players helped Kenya maintain their intensity.
Juma observed that the victory had restored confidence. “Yesterday we went back to the drawing board and told the team that we have to wake up as a team,” he said.
Earlier, South Africa beat Uganda 47-40. Uganda captain Eppa Richard Eric said his side lost through late mistakes, while South Africa captain Eugene Sinxezi noted that the defending champions had overcome a slow start.
The women's match was a much closer contest, although Malawi led throughout.
Malawi led 30-25 before moving to 34-29, when play was stopped at 2.51pm following a blackout. The match resumed at 3.14pm after the lights returned.
Malawi led 41-33 at the end of the third quarter and maintained their advantage in the final period, eventually winning 55-47.
Kenya captain Parin Simiyu was encouraged by the eight-goal margin, noting that Malawi had previously beaten Kenya by more than 20 goals.
“I am really impressed with my team because previously there was no time Malawi has beaten us with a gap of below 20 goals. Today, we lost by seven goals,” she said.
The Malawi captain described it as a tough game and praised Kenya's improvement, while the Malawi coach called it an “amazing contest”, highlighting Kenya's strength, height, dynamic players and strategy.
Kenya coach Tapiwa Chirenda disclosed that the team had learnt important lessons, but raised concerns over umpiring consistency.
“I have never complained about umpiring, but when it comes to big teams I feel they need to give us a fair chance. It is the consistency that I am worried about,” he said.
The Divas will now prepare for Uganda, while the Net Kings face defending champions South Africa.
The men's tournament features Kenya, Uganda, Eswatini, Malawi and South Africa in a round-robin format. The women's competition has 10 teams, with two qualification places available. South Africa and Uganda have already qualified for the 2027 Netball World Cup through the world rankings.
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