Aaliya Makena challanges an opponent during a trainings session/ HANDOUTAaliya Makena will carry Kenya’s fencing hopes to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games next month, less than two years after taking up the sport at school.
The 15-year-old épée fencer began training in Grade Nine under coach Georgina Kana and has since made a rapid rise through the ranks, earning a place at her biggest international assignment yet.
Makena’s breakthrough came when she received a letter from the federation while still relatively new to fencing. Her coach asked her to take it home to her mother, where they discovered that she had been selected to represent Kenya at the African Games.
“One day I got a letter and the coach was like, take this to your mom. When we opened it together, it was my calling from the federation to represent the national team to compete in the African Games,” Makena said.
The opportunity gave her an early taste of international competition before she went on to feature at the African Championships, experiences that have helped shape her progression.
“Over time I came to like the sport,” she said.
Makena will compete in the women’s individual épée at Dakar, with the event scheduled for November 10 at the Dakar Expo Centre in Diamniadio. The competition will begin with the pool round before progressing to the knockout stages.
She is targeting a strong performance while gaining valuable experience on the international stage.
“I look to qualify with a good point, leave a mark and fly my country's flag high,” she said.
The teenager is also keen to enjoy the experience and embrace the challenge.
“My expectation is to have fun and be good while at it,” she added.
Makena’s emergence comes two years after Alexandra Ndolo became Kenya’s first Olympic fencer at the Paris 2024 Games. Ndolo competed in the women’s épée before losing 13-12 to Ukraine’s Olena Kryvytska in the round of 32.
Makena’s progression represents another step for a discipline that is still developing in Kenya, particularly through school and youth programmes.
The Dakar Youth Olympic Games will run from October 31 to November 13 and will be the first Olympic event staged on African soil. Kenya is sending a 54-athlete contingent competing in 13 disciplines.
Dakar is an opportunity to gain experience while contributing to Kenya’s growing presence in fencing.
“We are not just athletics, this is us,” she said.
