East Africa's Premier Amateur Golf Event Reaches Climax

NAIROBI, Kenya – All eyes in the East African golf community turn to the prestigious Muthaiga Golf Club on Friday, November 28, 2025, for the Grand Finale of the fifth edition of the NCBA Golf Series. A field of 250 amateur golfers, including 90 top qualifiers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda, will compete for the coveted top honours in the culmination of a year-long, 40-tournament circuit that has engaged over 5,102 participants across the region.

The finale marks a significant milestone for the series, which has solidified its position as a vital platform for amateur golf development in East Africa. The top three champions—the Overall Winner, Men's Winner, and Ladies' Winner—will each receive a substantial cash prize of KSh 130,000. Adding to the high stakes, golfers have the extraordinary opportunity to win a JCB Backhoe Loader, provided by JCB Ganatra, for a hole-in-one on the par-3 13th hole. The exact market value of the construction equipment requires further confirmation, but similar new models are valued at several million shillings.

A Season of Growth and Regional Integration

The 2025 series, which began in January at the Kenya Railway Golf Club, has demonstrated significant growth and regional expansion. NCBA Group has invested KSh 60 million into its 2025 golf activities, which include partnerships with the Kenya Golf Union (KGU), the Junior Golf Foundation (JGF), and, for the first time, the Professional Golfers of Kenya (PGK). This investment supports 159 sponsored events across the four countries, a notable increase from 130 events in 2024.

NCBA Group Managing Director John Gachora highlighted the series' strategic importance. “The Grand Finale marks the culmination of a very successful series this year that has been bigger and better, transversing the region following the inclusion of Rwanda,” he stated on Thursday, November 27, 2025. “As we celebrate the fifth season, we are proud of the immense impact the series has had not just on the golfers but also on everyone else involved. We remain committed to supporting golf in Kenya.”

The series' expansion is evident in the growing number of participants from neighbouring countries. The 2024 finale saw a record 18 golfers from Uganda compete, a testament to the event's rising profile. This year, qualifiers from across the region, such as Nsajigwa Mwansasu, Asha Rashidi, and Victoria Taiko from Tanzania, and a strong contingent from Rwanda and Uganda, will be vying for the top spots, making it a truly East African championship.

Key Contenders and Past Champions

Among the notable players to watch is VetLab's Mary Karano, a seasoned golfer who is making her third consecutive appearance at the Grand Finale. Karano started her 2025 season strongly, securing the Overall Gross Lady's Winner title at the opening qualifier at Vet-Lab Sports Club with a score of 83 gross.

The finale will see new champions crowned, succeeding the 2024 overall winner, Sarah Nyareru of Karen Country Club, who won with 37 Stableford points, and the 2023 champion, Philip Shiharsy of Kitale Golf Club, who secured his victory with a score of 75 gross. In 2023, the top three winners each took home KSh 100,000, while in 2024, the prize was an NCBA Unit Trust worth KSh 120,000, indicating a steady enhancement of the rewards.

Fostering Future Talent

A cornerstone of NCBA's investment is the development of junior golf. The 2025 calendar includes 75 junior events across the region: 49 in Kenya, 22 in Uganda, 3 in Tanzania, and the first-ever junior event and clinic in Rwanda. This focus on grassroots development aims to create a sustainable future for the sport. The NCBA U.S. Kids Golf Spring Season, which concluded in May 2025 at Muthaiga, is another key initiative, providing a competitive platform for golfers aged 5 to 18 and nurturing talents like Yolanda Yu, Amar Shah, and Njeri Ng'ang'a who dominated their respective categories.

The Grand Finale at the par-72 Muthaiga Golf Club, a venue renowned for its championship standards, promises a challenging and fitting conclusion to a series that has become instrumental in elevating amateur golf in Kenya and the wider East African region. The event is scheduled to tee off early on Friday morning, with winners expected to be announced by the evening.