This archive report was first published on 25 December 2019.
Kenya's basketball teams have had a mixed bag of results in continental competitions this year. While the national men's team, Kenya Morans, made history by winning the Fiba Zone Five Championships for the first time, other teams faced significant challenges.
Equity Bank's women's team failed to qualify for the Africa Club Championships after losing to Uganda's JKL Dolphine in the semi-finals in Dar es Salaam in October. This was a low moment for Kenya in continental basketball, as it marked the first time in five years that two of Kenya's representatives failed to play in the final of the championship.
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) women's team qualified for the Africa Club Championships but later withdrew due to lack of adequate funds. As a result, Fiba Africa has fined Kenya heavily, with the possibility of banning KPA from future international championships until the fine is paid.
Kenya Basketball Federation Secretary-General Vitalis Gode warned KPA in a letter that stiffer sanctions might follow. Meanwhile, the players of KPA men's team saved the team's management and the country further embarrassment by making personal arrangements to travel to Rwanda for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) in Kigali, despite their sponsors withdrawing the club from the tournament.
However, there was some good news for Kenya's basketball teams. Caroline Njeri Nduta defied the odds to win Kenya's first ever gold medal in an African championship, winning the shooting competition at the African Games in Rabat in August. Additionally, the national men's basketball team Kenya Morans beat Egypt to win Fiba Zone Five Championships for the first time, with Tayler Okari being voted the tournament's MVP and top scorer at the African event in Mali.
Kenya Morans qualified for continental basketball for the first time since 1993, when the championships were held in Nairobi. During the African Championships in Bamako, Kenya finished a respectable second, a first for the team which surprised everybody with big wins over African giants Tunisia and Cote d'Ivoire, among other teams.
Already, KPA and Equity Bank have qualified for next year's continental basketball in women's category, while Ulinzi Warriors men have qualified for the lucrative Basketball Africa League. The teams must plan and prepare well for these events to avoid embarrassing situations.
