The Kenya Divas have achieved a remarkable victory over Zimbabwe, defeating them 63-57 in extra time to claim fifth place at the 2026 Africa Netball Cup held at Kasarani Indoor Arena on Saturday. This win has boosted Kenya's standing in the netball world, with President of the Kenya Netball Federation, Immaculate Kabutha, expressing pride in the team's performance. The match was intense, with Zimbabwe leading for much of the game before Kenya staged a comeback.
The Divas' victory is significant, considering Zimbabwe's higher ranking in World Netball's standings before the tournament, with Zimbabwe ranked 11th and Kenya 21st. Goal shooter Lydia Atieno Nyapere played a crucial role in the extra time, inspiring Kenya to pull away and register a landmark victory. This win demonstrates Kenya's rapid progress against more highly ranked opposition, according to Kabutha.
The Africa Netball Cup was a competition of exceptionally high standards, and the performance has given the Kenyan players renewed confidence, as stated by Kabutha. The victory capped a remarkable fightback by the Divas, who were trailing 16-10 after the first quarter and 25-22 at half-time. Zimbabwe-based Nyapere and Kenyatta University student Doreen Akinyi spearheaded the revival, with Nyapere leveling the contest at 43-43 with 6:06 remaining.
The match went into extra time, with Kenya dominating the additional period to seal a 63-57 victory. Despite the celebrations, Kabutha expressed frustration over Kenya's World Cup qualification campaign, which was affected by changes and confusion surrounding the competition format and fixtures. The tournament was initially designed to combine the Africa Netball Cup with the African qualification pathway for the 2027 Netball World Cup.
South Africa and Uganda had already secured their World Cup places through their world rankings, and World Netball confirmed that Malawi and Namibia had qualified to be invited to Sydney 2027 after coming second in their respective pools. Kabutha disclosed that Kenya had been left disappointed by the changes and confusion, which led to them playing in the playoffs instead of the semi-finals for the World Cup qualifier.
According to World Netball, the official competition regulations provided for the top two teams in each pool to advance to the semi-finals, with the semi-finals being South Africa versus Malawi and Uganda versus Namibia. The changes and confusion surrounding the competition format and fixtures affected Kenya's chances of competing for a place at the 2027 Netball World Cup.
The Kenya Divas' victory over Zimbabwe has demonstrated that the country belongs among Africa's top netball nations, and Kabutha is optimistic about the team's future prospects. The team's performance has given them renewed confidence, and they look forward to continuing their progress in the sport. Key to their success has been the leadership of players like Nyapere and Akinyi.
Key points
- The Kenya Divas defeated Zimbabwe 63-57 in extra time to claim fifth place at the 2026 Africa Netball Cup.
- The victory demonstrates Kenya's rapid progress against more highly ranked opposition.
- The win has given the Kenyan players renewed confidence and pride in their team's performance.
