This archive report was first published on 13 August 2019.
On August 13, 2019, Nicholas Mbugua, an East Africa seed 10 player from Stima Scrabble Club, made history by winning the eighth national scrabble championship at Pride Hotel in Bondo.
With a cumulative winning spread of 993 points, Mbugua completed a perfect 16 wins out of 18 rounds of matches, surpassing his fourth-place finish during the Mombasa leg the previous month.
His victory came after defeating Ugandan seed one Phillip Edwin-Mugisha 480-357 in the penultimate match, securing his first national scrabble title with two matches to spare.
Edwin-Mugisha finished second with 12 victories, one draw, and a spread of 836 points, while Martins Mutahi closed in third with 12 wins and a spread of 552 points.
"The championship was tough but I am glad I won. Despite finishing fourth in Mombasa, I stand here a winner. It all requires focus and commitment," Mbugua said after the win.
Wamucii Irungu was the best lady in the circuit, registering nine wins, as Kenya's top seeds Nderitu Gitonga, Allan Oyende, and Willy Mwangi missed the tournament.
Julius Auka from Kwale won the intermediate division title by a point, while Samson Midigo finished third, and Kisumu's Tony Ochola and Stanley Mulaku registered the highest combined score of 1,051 points.
The circuit served as the final qualification event for the upcoming Pan African Scrabble Championship (PANASA) and Water and Sewerage Companies scrabble championship (WASCO) games.
Action now shifts to Busia County for the ninth leg next month.
