KCB CEO Paul Russo in action at the weekend

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

The team of Andrew Gathere, Simon Mwangi, Joseph King’ola and Oscar Koitaba returned a net score of 255 points to be crowned the overall winners of the first leg of the KCB East Africa Golf Tour at the Royal Nairobi Golf Club.

Gathere’s team defeated the four-ball of Esther Muia, Joel Karubiu, Pal Thethy and Berlyne Okeyo who registered a combined net score of 262 points to emerge as the second best team in the tournament that was graced by over 200 golfers.

Commenting after guiding his team to victory, Gathere said: “Indeed it was a spectacular day on the course with an amazing group of people. Our victory was occasioned by our drive to win and the sheer passion for the game. The fact that it did not rain allowed us to demonstrate our skills and I could not be proud of my teammates for this amazing feat.”

Experienced handicap 10 golfer, Andrew Gathere, returned a net score of 63 points to clinch the overall winner award, beating a huge field at the event that marked the start of the 30-leg amateur series that will traverse 16 counties in Kenya and four additional countries in East Africa.

Simon Mwangi, who plays off handicap 16 also returned a 63 net score to be named the men’s winner while Esther Muia, who plays off handicap 48, returned a 65 net score to bag the lady winner award.

In the highly contested staff category, Managing Director and Principal Officer KCB Bancassurance Intermediary, Aggrey Mulumbi, who plays off handicap 22 recorded 67 net score to win it while regular winner Scola Onsongo, handicap 26 emerged second.

Veronicah Ndungu, handicapped 54, won the guest winner award with a net score of 59 points. Kigen Koitaba scooped the longest drive award in the men’s category while Eunice Kilonzo won it in the ladies’ category.

As part of its ongoing commitment to expanding access to sports and nurturing young talent, KCB Bank successfully hosted 100 junior golfers in a specialized golf clinic on Sunday morning. A tree planting exercise was also conducted at the same venue to buttress the bank’s sustainability agenda.

The second leg of the KCB East Africa Golf Tour will be held at the Mombasa Sports Club on February 8, 2025.

KCB Group Treasurer Anthony Mulisa follows his tee shot during the launch of 2025
KCB East Africa Golf Tour at the Royal Nairobi Golf Club on January 23, 2025.

By DANIELLA APIYO AND AMANDA DAMARIS

KCB Bank Kenya has committed KShs. 80 million into the third edition of the East Africa Golf Tour launched today.  

The 30-leg series will traverse 16 counties in Kenya and four other countries in the East African region—Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, and Uganda. This move buttresses the bank’s commitment to nurturing talent, strengthening regional unity, and promoting the sport of golf as a driver of social and economic expansion.

At the launch, KCB Group Treasurer, Anthony Mulisa said: “East Africa Golf Tour continues to grow as a platform of 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.”

In Kenya, action will unfold in Mombasa, Nairobi, Trans Nzoia, Kiambu, Kakamega, Uasin Gishu, Nyeri, Kericho, Machakos, Kisumu, Kisii, Laikipia, and Nandi Counties where top teams will qualify for the tour’s grand finale slated for December 5, 2025.

During the year-long competition, there shall be amateur events on Saturdays and junior clinics on Sundays. This will also include tournaments for caddies in select golf clubs with the winning teams each receiving KShs. 1 million for their Club for a sustainability project of their choice.  

The bank is also using this platform to push for its sustainability agenda by incorporating environmental conservation efforts during the period. As a result, the bank will continue with its tree planting exercises across the clubs and incorporate the setup and development of environmentally friendly LPG solutions. 

“Last year, we were privileged to partner with Africa Collect Textiles (ACT) to collect gently used clothing to repurpose these items into new products. We look forward to working closely with such like-minded organisations to ensure the transition to a low-carbon society by 2050 while growing the economy and taking advantage of the green growth opportunities,’’ Mulisa added.

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