- KU has partnered with the R&A, Kenya Golf Union, Kenya Ladies Golf Union, and Junior Golf Foundation to introduce golf under its Sports Science programme from September 2026.
- The collaboration will establish a golf training facility and high-performance centre at KU, with faculty and students already trained as Community Golf Instructors to expand the sport in schools and communities.
- Stakeholders aim to increase Kenya’s golfers from 17,000 to 50,000 by 2030, with the KU programme breaking barriers through structured training, grassroots development, and plans for a public golf range accessible to the community.
Kenyatta University (KU) will introduce golf under its Sports, Exercise and Sport Science programme from September, after entering a partnership with the R&A, the Kenya Golf Union (KGU), the Kenya Ladies Golf Union (KLGU) and the Junior Golf Foundation aimed at growing the sport across the country.
The partnership, whose discussions began in 2022, has now moved into its implementation phase after the R&A committed funding towards the project. Besides introducing golf into academic training at the university, the collaboration will establish a golf training facility and a high-performance centre at the institution.
Speaking after a courtesy call by the golf delegation, Dr Gitonga Kinuthia of Kenyatta University’s Department of Physical Education, Exercise and Sport Science said the R&A funding would enable the university to acquire its first set of golf training equipment ahead of the programme’s rollout.
“We are talking of funding that will help us acquire the first set of equipment to teach golf as a course beginning September this year,” said Dr Gitonga.
He said faculty members and students had already completed Community Golf Instructors training, equipping them to serve as trainers and to support the expansion of golf in schools and communities across the country. The university and the Kenya Golf Union are finalising a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise the partnership and facilitate the official launch of the programme.
Broader Strategy to Expand Golf Participation Nationwide
The initiative forms part of a broader strategy to expand golf participation in Kenya, with stakeholders targeting an increase in the number of golfers from an estimated 17,000 currently to 50,000 by 2030 through structured training and grassroots development.
Kenya Ladies Golf Union Chairperson Mukami Wangai said the collaboration would also support the establishment of the golf facility and performance centre at the university while making the sport more accessible to more Kenyans. She said the university’s expertise in education and sports science made it an ideal partner in advancing the game.
“We very much look forward to our continued collaboration with KU and really showing that the game of golf is a game for everyone,” said Wangai.
Junior Golf Foundation President James Ondigo said the partnership would play a key role in developing the next generation of golfers by training qualified instructors and creating an environment that supports the growth of elite talent.
“We need to have very focused programming, very structured training, and partnerships such as this help us in starting to develop the teachers of the game,” said Ondigo.
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R&A Africa Rules, Handicapping and Development Manager Vincent Wang’ombe said the partnership aims to make golf more accessible by breaking down barriers that have traditionally limited participation in the sport, noting that Kenya lacks public golf ranges.
“The whole idea is to make it accessible. We don’t have public golf ranges in Kenya, so this will be one of the things that Kenyatta University will be looking to do,” he said.
He added that the planned golf range would be open to the surrounding community, allowing residents to learn and play the sport, while also supporting efforts to introduce golf in schools through trained physical education teachers.
By Jonathan Mwinzi and Frank Mugwe
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