Kenya will dive into continental competition next month when the Africa Aquatics Zone 3 Swimming Championships arrive at Nairobi’s Kasarani Aquatic Stadium. For a nation still fighting to stamp its presence on the global swimming stage, the event promises both pressure and possibility.
Among those leading the charge is Alex Kaindi, a young coach who believes Kenya’s swimmers are ready for the spotlight. “Every coach dreams of seeing their athletes in national colours,” Kaindi said. “And we’re just getting started.”
Kaindi, certified by the American Swimming Coaches Association, will guide five swimmers into the pool. His squad includes junior prospect Aariana Barchha, who trains in the United Kingdom, as well as senior competitors Emmanuel Kibagendi and Jeff Muturi. Two masters swimmers complete the mix.
It is, Kaindi insists, a team shaped by both ambition and balance. “We’ve got youth, experience and determination,” he said. “That’s what will carry us forward.”
The 70-year-old Kasarani complex will once again be centre stage, but the story unfolding in Nanyuki may prove just as significant. There, Kaindi coaches at St. Christopher’s School while working alongside fellow tactician Saumu Ally. Fresh from her role with Kenya at the World Aquatics Junior Championships in Romania, Ally has joined Kaindi in nurturing the next wave of swimmers.
The pair are not merely preparing athletes for Kasarani. They are also laying the groundwork for 2026, when Nanyuki will, for the first time, host the Kenya Aquatics National Junior Swimming Championship.
For Kaindi, the journey is personal as well as professional. He is set to travel to the United States next summer for a one-month mentorship with Olympic-level strategist Sarah Holman, who earlier this year trained more than 200 coaches in Kenya. “It’s a chance to grow, to learn, and to bring something back for our swimmers,” he said.
This weekend, Kaindi’s team will compete in Thika at the Kiambu Aquatics Level One Championship, part of a steady build-up to October’s main event.
The stakes in Kasarani are high. Kenya has long relied on athletics to define its sporting identity. Now, coaches like Kaindi and Ally hope to prove the country can compete in the water as well.
“The challenge is big,” Kaindi admitted, “but so is our hunger. Kenya can make a statement.”
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