Kenya Netball Federation president Immaculate Kabutha says the Kenya Divas’ dramatic victory over Zimbabwe has demonstrated that the country belong among Africa’s top netball nations, even as she expressed disappointment over the circumstances that ended Kenya’s hopes of competing for a place at the 2027 Netball World Cup.
The Divas shocked Zimbabwe 63-57 after extra time in the fifth-place play-off of the 2026 Africa Netball Cup at Kasarani Indoor Arena on Saturday.
Kenya appeared destined for defeat for much of the contest before forcing a 49-49 draw at the end of regulation time. Goal shooter Lydia Atieno Nyapere then inspired the hosts during extra time as Kenya pulled away to register a landmark victory.
World Netball’s rankings before the tournament placed Zimbabwe 11th and Kenya 21st in the world.
For Kabutha, the result was further evidence of Kenya’s rapid progress against more highly ranked opposition. “We are already up in the ranking. We have beaten countries which are higher than us, like Zambia, like Zimbabwe, and we are good to go now,” explained Kabutha after the match.
She described the Africa Netball Cup as a competition of exceptionally high standards and added that the performance had given the Kenyan players renewed confidence.
The victory capped a remarkable fightback by the Divas.
Zimbabwe led 16-10 after the first quarter and went into half-time with a 25-22 advantage. The former World Cup side was still ahead, 38-34, entering the final quarter before Kenya mounted its decisive comeback.
Zimbabwe-based Nyapere and Kenyatta University student Doreen Akinyi spearheaded the revival, with Nyapere levelling the contest at 43-43 with 6:06 remaining. The teams exchanged goals in a tense finish before Nyapere scored in the dying second to force extra time.
Kenya dominated the additional period to seal a 63-57 victory.
For Kabutha, however, the celebrations were accompanied by lingering frustration over Kenya’s World Cup qualification campaign.
The tournament was originally designed to combine the Africa Netball Cup with the African qualification pathway for the 2027 Netball World Cup. South Africa and Uganda had already secured their World Cup places through their world rankings. World Netball subsequently confirmed that Malawi and Namibia had qualified to be invited to Sydney 2027 after coming second in their respective pools.
Kabutha disclosed that Kenya had been left disappointed by changes and confusion surrounding the competition format and fixtures.
“The most unfortunate thing that happened yesterday, we were supposed to have played the semis for the World Cup qualifier, because we had actually qualified,” she said.
“But now there was a big jump, about five fixtures were removed and there was a lot of confusion. So we found ourselves now playing for these sort of playoffs.”
World Netball, however, subsequently stated that the official competition regulations provided for the top two teams in each pool to advance to the semi-finals. Under that format, the semi-finals were South Africa versus Malawi and Uganda versus Namibia.
Kabutha noted that the federation had lodged a formal complaint over the matter.
“It was very, very disappointing to Team Kenya. Not even Team Kenya alone, but also Team Zimbabwe,” she disclosed.
“We have already done a formal complaint and we are waiting for the world to fix it. We are ready to play again if the fixture is done properly.”
Despite the disappointment, Kabutha observed the victory over Zimbabwe was a moment of immense pride for the team and the country.
“We are all the same very excited because we have actually beaten the giants in the world category,” she added.
The federation boss also thanked the government and supporters for backing the team throughout the eight-day championship, which was held at Kasarani from September 19-26.
She singled out Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya, Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi and ministry officials for their support, while praising Kenyan fans for turning up to cheer the Divas.
“We really want to appreciate the fans,” said Kabutha. “We are proud to the rest of the world. We have made it.”
The tournament has provided Kenya with notable victories over higher-ranked opposition, including Zambia (17th in the world) and Zimbabwe (11th in the world), despite the Divas finishing third in Pool Two behind Uganda and Malawi. World Netball confirmed Kenya’s pool-stage position and the qualification pathway following the conclusion of the group matches.
Kabutha observed that the federation would now shift its attention towards building on the team’s improved performances.
“For Team Kenya, we have already started preparing for next year's tournaments,” she said.
“Netball being a ranking game, we have to attend several competitions with other countries who are ranked at our category, so that we can keep on climbing the ladder for the ranking. So, we are not going to sleep. We will have a continuity.”
She also pointed to next year’s Under-18 Youth Championship in Malta as another priority and called for increased support from sponsors and political leaders, particularly women Members of Parliament who have supported netball programmes in their counties.
Kabutha noted that the long-term objective was to ensure Kenya continues to rise in the world rankings through regular international competition.
Her message to Kenyans was one of patience and continued support.
“From Team Kenya, they need to take patience, listen when they are doing their games,” she said.
She also urged international governing bodies to ensure tournament regulations and fixtures are clear and robust.
“Let the deserving team win,” said Kabutha.
For now, the Divas can celebrate a victory that had appeared unlikely for much of the match. Their hard-earned 63-57 victory over Zimbabwe not only secured fifth place in the continental championship, but also provided a powerful statement of Kenya’s ability to challenge established African netball powers.
For a team that entered the tournament ranked 21st in the world, humbling 11th-ranked Zimbabwe after trailing for most of the match offered a fitting finale to a tournament that produced both progress and controversy for the hosts.
Malawi trounced Namibia 50-45 in bronze-medal match, Zambia saw off Botswana 51-47 in the ranking match for seventh and eighth, while Tanzania finished second from last after defeating Nigeria 53-49 in the ninth/10th place playoff.
Men's competition attracted South Africa, Eswatini, Uganda, Kenya and Malawi. Uganda won bronze by trouncing Kenya. Malawi finished last. Men's final pits Eswatini against defending champions South Africa on Saturday afternoon. Women's final involves reigning champions South Africa, and Uganda who are ranked fifth and sixth in the world, respectively.
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