NAIROBI, Kenya, March 29, 2026 – Kenya’s 5× 5 wheelchair men’s basketball national team head coach Nicholas Ngumbi is unfazed by Saturday’s 66-30 loss to Senegal in their second match of Africa Wheelchair Basketball Championships in Luanda, Angola.
Ngumbi believes his charges will improve as they grow into the championship.
” Yes, we have lost two in a row, but it’s no worries to me, we shall pick up ourselves tomorrow. The most important thing is that my boys are responding well to what I am teaching them, we shall get there,” Ngumbi said.
Kenya started on a right note, proving to Les Lions de Teranga — ranked fourth in Africa — that they are no push overs, with Milton Ilahuya making the first score.
It was a push and pull battle that Kenya lost heading to the last quarter, ending the third one at a distant 26-50 after Milton Ilahuya combined well with vice captain Itaken Timoi, making a three pointer to end the quarter.
The West Africans came out strong on Kenya in the final fourth quarter with an inspired Elhadji Diouf beginning it by scoring a free throw pushing the scores to 51 after a foul by Ian Kanji.
The bearded Deudonne Dagoia, Salidou Diene and Eadagar Samb pushed Kenyans to the wall, finally breaking their resilience by making sure they score on their shots , while Kenyans were unlucky with theirs, only managing a total of 30-66, to the buzzer.
Their next encounter is on Sunday morning against Algeria (11 p.m), with another possible tie against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the afternoon — subject to confirmation.
Their female counterparts will be up against host nation Angola at 4:30 pm, local time.
