Kanji derives positives despite early exit at continental wheelchair championships

Kenya's high pointer, Aman Odido, gets a word from assistant coach Maurice Ouma/HANDOUT

Kenya’s men’s wheelchair basketball captain Ian Kanji says the team returns home proud despite an early exit from the Africa 5×5 Wheelchair Basketball Championships in Luanda.

Both the men’s and women’s teams exited before the medal rounds but signed off on a positive note with convincing wins over Liberia. The men thrashed Liberia 72-13 in their final match, mirroring the women’s earlier victory against the same opponents.

The result secured a seventh-place finish for the men, offering a morale boost after a tough tournament. Under the guidance of Maurice Ouma, Sarah Libese and Nicholas Ngumbi, Kenya dominated from the start, opening up a 37-7 halftime lead before comfortably seeing out the match.

“Though Liberia was no match for us, we really gave a good shift,” Kanji said.

Kenya’s campaign was largely shaped by a difficult Pool A draw that pitted them against some of Africa’s top-ranked sides.

“We were pooled in Group A with the best, especially the North Africans. Senegal also hav an advantage with players featuring professionally in Europe. In Kenya, we don’t have a professional wheelchair basketball league, while teams like Morocco and Egypt are ahead in infrastructure, and South Africa even held a three-week training camp in Spain. That shows how serious they are,” he added.

The women’s team finished fifth out of six, with both squads gaining valuable exposure despite falling short of the knockout stages. Kenya showed moments of promise but struggled with depth and experience against stronger opposition.

Elsewhere, Senegal edged Algeria 51-48 to claim bronze in the men’s category. Algeria went on to dominate, beating South Africa in both the men’s and women’s finals to underline North Africa’s strength in the sport.

Algeria’s double triumph, alongside a strong showing by Egypt, secured qualification slots for the IWBF 2026 World Championships set for Ottawa from September 9–19.

Attention now shifts to long-term development, with Kanji emphasising the need for structured leagues, better preparation and increased international exposure as Kenya looks to close the gap on the continent’s elite.