Young Talent Headlines Kenya's Final Squad for 2026 Rafting World Cup Series

The Kenya Rafting Federation (KRF) has officially announced the final national squad set to represent the country in the upcoming Rafting World Cup series.

The unveiling follows an intensive, two-day selection exercise held at Rapids Camp in Sagana from June 19 to 20, 2026, which attracted over 150 hopeful athletes from across the nation.

A final roster of 56 elite athletes has been chosen to compete across three primary divisions: the Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed categories.

As the host nation, Kenya will feature teams in all major competitive disciplines, including Sprint, Slalom, and RaftCross (RX).

The competitive trials highlighted a significant wave of emerging talent within the local water sports scene, with a massive turnout from competitors under the age of 23.

Federation leadership emphasised that developing the next generation of paddlers is central to their long-term growth strategy.

June Muthoni, the President of the Kenya Rafting Federation, noted the strategic importance of this youthful roster: "The trials have showed us that we have a lot of talent, especially among the youth who participated actively, being under 23 years. That is the largest category of our athletes here. This is deliberate, because we feel that the future of our sport and federation is the youth. Being a young President, it motivates the young athletes, who will help grow the sport and the Federation."

William Kinuthia, the KRF Secretary General and Local Organising Committee (LOC) Chairman, also extended an invitation to younger demographics looking to break into the sport: "This is an opportunity to extended invitation especially to GenZ's and young people to a brace a new sports discipline that give them opportunity and is still less competitive"

To prepare for the global stage, the Kenyan team has been sharpening its skills in a rigorous training camp for the past two weeks under Italian head coach Zeno Martini. The team has shown immense technical growth since their last international outing in South America.

Reflecting on the impact of their foreign tactician, June Muthoni stated: "Where we are now and when we were in Argentina 8 months ago there's is a huge difference. Thanks to our coach from Italy and we shall be bringing another coach before the start of the championships. The consistency training has really helped"

The athletes will take a brief break before entering a final residential training camp on June 25th, where they will remain until the tournament begins.

The Rafting World Cup series is scheduled to run from July 6 to 12, 2026, and will uniquely feature two parallel competitions, the African Championship and the World Championship.

The event will feature 19 competing and 32 participating teams. Out of the 19 competing squads, 13 hail from Africa, while the remaining 6 travel from Europe and Asia, including former champions Japan and defending champions Portugal.

Local organisers are confident that the infrastructure is ready for the international spotlight. For fans unable to make the trip to Sagana, the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) has signed on as the official media partner and will stream the entire competition live.