Kenya's AirBadminton national team began its campaign at the ongoing 2026 Africa AirBadminton Championships at Aero Beach in Entebbe, Uganda, on Thursday, winning four out of five doubles matches.
On Friday, Kenya won four of seven matches in the men's doubles, mixed doubles and women's doubles categories.
Speaking from Entebbe on Friday, national men's team captain Sammy Sikoyo said morale in the camp was high, with the team's main objective being to finish among the top two nations at the championships and qualify for the 2029 World Games in Germany.
"We arrived here safe and sound. The weather is not all that bad, even though it's raining heavily, but we can cope with that," Sikoyo told Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK) by phone.
"We lost only one game against the host nation due to some tactical mishaps, but we will get them. I know we are better and came here to conquer Africa," an optimistic Sikoyo added.
On Thursday, Kenya's charges, coached by Brijesh Jagdish Sonigra, began their doubles campaign on the sandy courts, with Edwin Akwanyi and Yvonne Mwikali winning 3-1 against Burundi.
National team captain Sammy Sikoyo teamed up with Blessings Vuyanzi against hosts Uganda but lost 3-1. However, women's captain Jacinta Sengera and John Simiyu capitalised on Algeria's defensive lapses to wipe away Kenya's disappointment in the third match, winning 3-1 against the North Africans.
National team captain Jacinta Sengera pictured in action at Aero Beach, Entebbe on Friday during the ongoing Africa Airbadminton championships, Uganda. PHOTO/Badminton Confederation of Africa
Sikoyo then teamed up with Edwin Akwanyi and got his revenge against the hosts, winning a closely contested match 3-2 against Uganda.
The pair of Sikoyo and Akwanyi were in dominant form in their final match of the day, defeating Tunisia 3-0 to conclude Day One.
Kenya's results saw the team progress to the Round of 32 on Friday at the same venue. Akwanyi and Mwikali teamed up in the mixed doubles to beat Burundi 3-1, while Sikoyo and Vuyanzi lost 3-1 to Uganda. The Sengera-Simiyu combination was also too strong for Algeria, with the Kenyans winning 3-1.
Akwanyi and Mwikali advanced to the Round of 16 but lost 3-0 to Burundi.
In the men's doubles Round of 32, Sikoyo and Akwanyi defeated Uganda 3-2 before beating Tunisia 3-0 in the Round of 16 to qualify for the quarter-finals, where they will face Benin on Saturday.
In the women's doubles Round of 32, Sengera and Vuyanzi lost 3-2 to Burkina Faso.
The triples matches will be played on Saturday, with Kenya's coach Sonigra pairing Sikoyo, Akwanyi and Simiyu to face Egypt. In the other clash, Sengera, Vuyanzi and Mwikali will take on Benin.
After the championships, a training camp will be held from Sunday, 20th September, to Tuesday, 22nd September.
The camp has been organised by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA), in collaboration with the Uganda Badminton Association (UBA).