Can East Africans match the Magical Kenya Open competition?

The 57th edition of the Magical Kenya Open (MKO) presented by Absa tees off today at the par-72 Karen Country Club in Nairobi, once again placing Kenya firmly on the global golfing stage.

The event features a field of 144 players, comprising Kenyan professional and amateur golfers, regional professional golfers, and international professional golfers from approximately 25 countries. It returns to Karen, where it was last held in 2021. 

The sh9.1b prize money event has attracted four former winners, including last year’s winner, South African Jacques Kruyswijk; Frenchman Darious Van Driel (2024); Spanish Jorge Campillo (2023); and Italian Guido Migliozzi, who won the event in 2019.

The Kenyan pros who qualified through the Equator Tour, a local event that acts as the qualifying tournament for the global competition, include Greg Snow, Samuel Njoroge, David Wakhu, Kibugu Njoroge, Mutahi Kibugu, Dismas Indiza, Daniel Nduva, CJ Wangai, Jastas Madoya and Edwin Mudanyi, who is playing on his home course. 

Opportunity beckons for the local stars carrying the hopes of a nation for a first homegrown winner in the event's history. The Kibugu brothers, Njoroge and Mutahi, have become stars in their homeland in recent years, in part due to the event, which saw them make the cut in 2022 and 2023, respectively. 

In addition to the pros, the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship and Junior golf tour have produced more participants, led by champions John Lejirma, Michael Karanga, Jay Sandhu, Harish Shashwat, and Junaid Maji. 

Two years ago, Ugandan Ronald Rugumayo holed a birdie putt on the final hole to make the cut in the event, becoming the first Ugandan to make the cut in a DP World Tour event.

What remains to be seen is whether the East African golfers in the competition, including Rwandan Celestine Nsanzuwera, will justify their inclusion by playing all four rounds and partaking of the enticing kitty in the DP World Tour event, which attracts some of the world’s best golfers from across the continent and around the world.

The Kigali Golf Resort & Villas ace secured his spot through sheer consistency and grit, finishing second on the Sunshine Development Tour (SDT) East Africa Swing Order of Merit and is in for the first time. 

After last year’s event at the Muthaiga Golf Club, in which none of the 17 East Africans, including Uganda’s Willy Kitata and six amateurs, including Joseph Cwinyaai, made the cut, there were cries from the Kenya professionals for more slots in the event, which were granted. Then, 13 Kenyan pros, including two amateurs, competed, with none qualifying for the last two rounds. In 2023, only the youngster Mutahi Kibugu made the cut out of 16 East African golfers, including Rugumayo, who failed.

The event attracts participation in over ten categories including but not limited to the winners of Race to Dubai Ranking Tournaments in the 2025-2026 Official Seasons that have a prize fund below $2m followed by winners of Race to Dubai Ranking Tournaments in the 2026 Official Season with a prize fund below one million Euro who were already Ranked DP World Tour or Ranked HotelPlanner Tour Members at the time of the win, followed by winners of DP World Tour/HotelPlanner Tour Dual Ranking tournaments in the 2026 Official Season. 

At last year’s edition, South Africa’s Jacques Kruyswijk claimed the prestigious title after finishing ahead of England’s John Parry and fellow South African Deon Germishuys. The 33-year-old produced a composed performance to edge Parry by two shots, securing his maiden DP World Tour victory and pocketing approximately sh1.7b in prize money.