Sh80m boost as KCB East Africa Golf Tour tees off

Golfers in East Africa have every reason to smile after the circuit was expanded to 30 legs ahead of its tee-off next month.

There were 24 legs last season. This year’s series has been stretched to five countries from four that hosted the legs last season, with Burundi becoming the new kid on the block.

“The move (to include Burundi) buttresses our commitment to nurturing talent, strengthening regional unity, and promoting the sport of golf as a driver of social and economic expansion,” KCB Group Treasurer, Anthony Mulisa said during the launch of this year’s tournament.

“We are glad that the Tour is continuing to grow as a platform for amateur development, 

inclusivity and regional collaboration. Our objective is to expand the sport and allow budding golfers to hone their skills in line with our brand purpose For People. For Better,” added Mulisa.

Apart from Burundi, other nations set to host the prestigious regional golf showpiece this year are Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Locally, the circuit will traverse 16 counties from 15 that took part in the tournament last year.

Also, the competition has received a Sh80 million sponsorship boost from KCB Bank to enhance it’s efficiency.

The circuit is set to tee-off on February 1, at the Royal Nairobi Golf Club.

This will be followed by contests in Mombasa, Nairobi, Trans Nzoia, Kiambu, Kakamega, Uasin Gishu, Nyeri, Kericho, Machakos, Kisumu, Kisii, Laikipia, and Nandi counties. Top teams in each leg will qualify for the tour’s grand finale slated for December 5.

The winning team in the series will receive Sh 1 million for their club in support of a sustainability project of their choice. The team will also get a chance to play at a prestigious golf event in Kenya, to be announced in due course.

During the year-long competition, there shall be amateur events on Saturdays and junior clinics on Sundays.

There will also be tournaments for caddies at selected golf clubs. The series will also continue with it’s sustainability agenda which is to plant 1.5 million trees to support development of environmentally friendly LPG solutions.

At the same time, the bank, in partnership with Mastercard, has unveiled a Multi Currency Prepaid card, the only card with the highest number of currencies designed to cater to the diverse needs of discerning customers providing them with a cost-effective way to manage their international transactions.