Kenya Karate Federation President Eng. Richard Binga speakig during the launch of the 2026 UFAK Regio East Africa Karate Championships in Nairobi on Thursday 21st May 2026.
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 22 — Nairobi will host the UFAK Region East Karate Championship 2026 from May 28 to 31 at the Nyayo National Stadium Indoor Arena, bringing together athletes, coaches and officials from 14 East African countries in a major regional martial arts contest.
Organized by the Kenya Karate Federation under the Union of African Karate Federations (UFAK), the championship will feature cadet, junior and senior categories in both individual and team events.
Speaking during during the launch of the 2026 UFAK Regio East Africa Karate Championships, President of the Kenya Karate Federation Eng. Richard Binga said Kenya was proud to host the regional event, noting that government support had been instrumental in strengthening sports development and enabling the country to stage international competitions.
“The Kenya Karate Federation expresses its sincere appreciation to the Government of Kenya for its invaluable support towards the hosting of this championship and for continued investment in the development and promotion of sports,” said Binga.
He said the event reflects Kenya’s growing stature as a regional sports hub and provides an important platform for athlete development and international exposure.
He added that hosting the championship will further strengthen Kenya’s capacity to stage major sporting events in future.Binga also emphasized that the federation remains committed to growing karate at grassroots and elite levels.
“The championship reflects Kenya’s growing position as a regional hub for sports excellence and development,” he added.
Kenya will field a 50-member squad that has been in residential training camp after completing a two-month intensive programme supervised by accredited World Karate Federation coaches. The preparations have focused on tactical awareness, physical conditioning, discipline and technical precision.
The team enters the championship seeking to improve on last year’s performance in Ethiopia, where Kenya finished second overall with 20 medals 10 gold, nine silver and one bronze.
Team Kenya captain Francis Wamukoyi expressed confidence that the hosts are well prepared to challenge for top honours on home soil.
“We finished second in this event last year and we are sufficiently prepared to claim top honours this year. The level of coaching and preparation we have received gives us confidence, while competing at home is a huge motivation for the team,” Wamukoyi said.
He said the team had benefited from intensive training and strong technical support ahead of the competition.
Wamukoyi added that morale in camp was high and athletes were focused on delivering strong performances and further noted that home support would be a key motivating factor.
“We are ready and fully focused on winning for Kenya on home soil,” he added.
Team Kenya player Mercy Wambui called on Kenyans to rally behind the national team while highlighting increased female participation in the sport.
“The perception out there is that karate is for men, but the reality is that there are more ladies in camp than men. We are not there to make up the numbers; we are thriving. The championship will help reveal this to many people, so we urge Kenyans to come out and support Team Kenya,” Wambui said.
She said female athletes were increasingly taking leadership roles in the sport at national level.She added that the championship would help change public perception about women in karate.Wambui further encouraged young girls to consider taking up the sport.
“We are determined to represent Kenya strongly and make the country proud,” she added.
The Nairobi championship is expected to attract senior continental and global officials, including the President of UFAK, the Vice President of the World Karate Federation (WKF), and members of the refereeing and technical commissions.
Alongside the competition, UFAK will conduct coaching and refereeing seminars, examinations and technical courses aimed at improving officiating standards and strengthening karate development across Africa.
The event will also serve as a key preparation platform for Kenya ahead of the African Karate Championship scheduled for Algeria in September and the Commonwealth Karate Games in Scotland in October.Organizers have called on fans and families to attend in large numbers to witness top-level regional karate action as Nairobi prepares to position itself as a hub for martial arts excellence.
