Kenya Net Kings Recover From Uganda Defeat With Dominant Win Over Malawi as Divas Fall Short

Kenya had contrasting fortunes on the second day of the 2026 Africa Netball Cup at Kasarani Indoor Arena on Sunday, with the Net Kings recovering from their opening-day defeat to Uganda with a 52-38 victory over Malawi, while the Divas lost 55-47 to the same opponents.

The results gave the men's side a much-needed boost while the women's team showed encouraging progress despite falling short.

The men's match was closely contested early on, with the lead changing hands several times before Kenya began to pull away after halftime.

Malawi led 25-24 at the break, but the Net Kings returned with greater intensity and gradually took control. Strong defending and sharper movement in attack helped Kenya establish a 36-33 lead heading into the final quarter.

Kenya maintained the pressure in the closing stages, with fresh legs helping the hosts sustain their tempo. Malawi were further hampered after one of their players was ejected, allowing the Net Kings to open up a decisive gap before securing a 52-38 victory.

Christovin Juma was the standout performer in attack, accounting for 38 of Kenya's 52 goals.

The victory was a significant response to Kenya's 45-33 defeat by Uganda on the opening day.

Coach Peter Oloo said the team had reviewed footage of that match and worked on correcting the mistakes that cost them against Uganda.

“Today's match was a very tough match. Basically, having lost our first match against Uganda, we had to sit down and review video footages and make analysis on where we made mistakes and after that we were able to rectify those mistakes and that is what made us to perform the way we did today,” noted Oloo.

He also pointed to tactical adjustments and the use of fresh players as key factors in the win.

“The match was very tough against Malawi so we had to do some tactical changes and bring in fresh legs. You can see that worked for us. Whenever I felt like a player was a bit tired, I would introduce fresh legs and it got us a better result,” he said.

Oloo has already turned his attention to Kenya's next challenge against defending champions South Africa.

“South Africa is equally a good team, but if we stick to our gameplan like we did today, I know we are going to beat them. We have watched how they play. Just before we play them we will have to sit down and strategize on how to counter them,” he said.

Juma said the team had responded positively after the disappointment against Uganda.

“We did not do well yesterday against Uganda, but today we did. Yesterday we went back to the drawing board and told the team that we have to wake up as a team,” said Juma.

He added that the victory had lifted the team's confidence ahead of the remaining matches.

“We came to the Malawi match with the mentality we are coming back to win to show Malawi that we are here to be ranked the best in this tournament. This victory has boosted the morale of the team and I know the coach will now focus on the tactical part as we approach the next game.”

Earlier, Kenya's Divas suffered their first defeat of the tournament, going down 55-47 to Malawi.

The Malawians led throughout the contest, but Kenya remained competitive and significantly reduced the margin compared with previous encounters between the two teams.

A 23-minute blackout at Kasarani also interrupted the match in the third quarter, with play halted when Malawi led 34-29. After the restart, Malawi maintained control, although Kenya continued to fight until the final whistle.

The seven-goal defeat represented a marked improvement for the Divas against Malawi.

Kenya captain Parin Simiyu said she was encouraged by the team's performance despite the result.

“The match has been good. I am really impressed with my team because previously there was no time Malawi has beaten us with a gap of below 20 goals. Today, we lost by seven goals so I am impressed,” said Simiyu.

The captain said the team would review the match before facing Uganda.

“We are going to rewatch the game and see areas we can improve before meeting Uganda,” she said.

Malawi's captain and coach also acknowledged Kenya's improvement, with the Malawi coach describing the match as a closely contested encounter.

“What we have seen there on the court was an amazing contest. Kenya is one amazing team. They have dynamic players, their strength, their height, their ability and their strategy was also amazing,” the coach said.

“It was an amazing contest that in the end came down to a few errors from each team. It is just wonderful that they gave us a good fight, pushed us to the inch.”

Earlier on Sunday, South Africa beat Uganda 47-40 in the men's competition. Uganda had opened the tournament with a 45-33 victory over Kenya, while South Africa defeated Eswatini 43-36.

Uganda captain Eppa Richard Eric said mistakes in the closing stages proved costly against the defending champions.

“The game against South Africa was tough, very hard, but we played well. We lost the game towards the end. We did some simple mistakes and our opponent managed to punish us,” explained Eric.

South Africa captain Eugene Sinxezi said his side overcame a slow start to secure the victory. “The match went well for us although we had a really slow start and the boys, maybe, we were just off the strategies, the set plays which we did not execute very well,” noted Sinxezi.

“But again I think we kept fighting and toward the end is when the structures kept coming in place and that's how we managed to get that game.”

With the tournament continuing, Kenya's Net Kings will look to build on their victory over Malawi, while the Divas will seek a response when they face Uganda.