Netball Kenya champions inclusion at Africa Netball Cup

As the flags of participating nations filled the Kasarani Indoor Arena during the opening ceremony of the Africa Netball Cup, a powerful message of inclusion took centre stage.

People with disabilities proudly carried the World Netball and Africa Netball flags as they ushered the participating teams into the arena, sending a clear message that netball should have room for everyone, whether they are on court or not.

Although para participants are yet to feature competitively in netball, Netball Kenya used the opening ceremony to highlight the need for the sport to become more inclusive.

Netball Kenya president Immaculate Kabathu said the initiative was intended to show the public that people with disabilities have an important place in the sport.

Netball Kenya president Immaculate Kabathu

"These people are our people, they belong to us. They are my friends. I hope one day that para netball will be introduced," Kabathu said.

"We would also want to make the other countries know that we have to include all our special groups of persons in our communities. We are very much proud of them," she said.

She added that Kenya continues to support people with disabilities through sport, pointing to athletes who have won medals at different competitions.

"In Kenya, persons with disabilities, persons with special needs, all of them are considered when it comes to sports, and they are catered for fully. We have several good medalists amongst them, and we are very much proud of them," Kabathu said.

People with disabilities lead teams into the court for the opening ceremony of the 2026 Africa Netball Cup

The inclusion message was complemented by another initiative aimed at bringing netball closer to the public.

Africa Netball made entry to the tournament free, allowing fans to attend the matches and experience the continental competition without the barrier of ticket costs.

Kabathu said the initiative was intended to expose more people, especially young children, to the sport and encourage its development from the grassroots.

"We want people to know that there is netball for both men and women, and our little ones. We want people to come and enjoy getting entertained in Kenya," she said.

Kabathu stressed that developing sport should not always be about business, but also about creating opportunities for communities to participate, watch and eventually produce professional athletes.

"Yes, it is not always money, business as usual. No, it is not. We want to enlighten our people on the importance of developing the game from the grassroots, so that at least we can get entertained, and then we have professionals," she said.

Through the opening ceremony, Netball Kenya therefore used the Africa Netball Cup not only as a platform for competition, but also to promote accessibility, community participation and a broader vision of who belongs in the sport.