Kenyan Teams Pick Positives After Mixed Fortunes at Africa Wheelchair Basketball Championships

Kenyan teams have picked vital lessons from the Africa Wheelchair Basketball Championships where their hopes of making it to the World Wheelchair Basketball Championships were dimmed.

Team Kenya had mixed fortunes as the men’s team secured a morale-boosting win but the women’s side suffered two heavy defeats on Monday.

On the fourth day of the championships in Luanda, Angola, Kenya’s men’s team beat DR Congo 45-35 to save face for the country after their women counterparts had been thrashed 71-21 by the continent’s top ranked team Algeria before succumbing to 71-10 to South Africa, ranked second in Africa.

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"It's a learning process, both genders have some young guys that we are trying to integrate into the team, eventually we will get there," said team manager Joseph Ochieng.

The Kenyan women were slow off the blocks, allowing Algeria's point guards Djamila Khemgani and Menouba Fuoulani to sneak behind Ashely Autai on counters, handing the North Africans a lead in the first two quarters.

Coach Sarah Libese made a couple of changes, bringing in experienced Esther Asige as shooter and Eunice Otieno as point guard but it did little to ease the pressure as Algeria maintained their onslaught to take the last two quarters for the 71-21 victory.

There was no respite for the Kenyan women in their second encounter which they were second best as South Africa totally dominated to win 71-10, handing the East Africans a third straight loss, having also been beaten 36-18 by hosts Angola on Sunday, which all but ends their hopes of qualifying for the World Wheelchair Basketball Championships in Ottawa, Canada in September 2026.

Meanwhile, Kenyan men bounced back from their 68-27 loss to Algeria on Sunday to beat lowly ranked DR Congo 45-35 on Monday, having staged a remarkable turnaround from 32-20 down at the break.

Assistant coach Maurice Ouma and the two captains Ian Kanji and Itaken Timoi inspired Kenya’s comeback at the Pavilaho Multiuso de Kilamba in Luanda.