NAIROBI, Kenya, August 24, 2026 – Muthaiga Golf Club vice chair David Ombisi says there are no plans to host future editions of the Patron’s Cup at other venues.
Ombisi says the annual event will always be staged at Muthaiga owing to the club’s significance to former president Mwai Kibaki — in whose honour the competition is held.
“Muthaiga will always be the host of Patrons Cup because of the origins of the former patron, former president of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki, having been the patron of Kenya Golf Union for a long time. What we are trying to do from next year is to open it beyond Kenya and try to make it a regional competition where we’ll invite some clubs from Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda,” he said.
Ombisi further revealed that they will hold qualifiers to select teams (golf clubs) to play in the main competition due to heightened interest within and without Kenyan borders.
“As we speak during the opening session on Thursday, the captain of Kampala Golf Club was here and they’re very keen to come and join as well as representatives from Rwanda. We are going to invite them for qualifiers which are going to take place in May so that whichever team that qualifies can then join and be part of the Patrons Cup,” he explained.
The annual tournament, first held in 2022, brings together 15 clubs from around the country battling for top honours across five categories, including Trophy, Shield, Bowl, Plaque and Mug.
At this year’s edition, the hosts tightened their vice grip on the tournament, claiming their fifth title after amassing 125.5 points in the Trophy category.
Ombisi credited their dominance to a deliberate junior development programme that has brought budding golfers to the fore.
“As Muthaiga, we have started a junior programme that we believe will be able to sort of bring on board new generation of golfers. The bottom line is really to invest in junior golf because most of the elite golfers are on their way out. The only way to sustain these and continue to grow the game of golf is through the junior program so we are investing in that,” he said.
Ombisi added: “Come next year, of course, we’ll probably have more juniors also representing Mothega. We are working on that and I am sure that we’ll continue to dominate for the next few years to come.”
Beyond Muthaiga, and the Patron’s Cup in particular, the vice chair reiterated the need for concerted efforts to develop talents from the grassroots.
“I think we already have the foundations in place. It’s really up to the golf governing bodies to really build on what is already there. We are not starting from scratch. How do the governing bodies harness this potential and move it to the next level? I think that’s what is missing,” he said.
