Uganda-Kenya sports tourism hits the green as Coast Open Golf Championship tees off at Vipingo Ridge

Golfers from Uganda and Kenya went head-to-head today at the Uganda–Kenya Coast Open on the PGA Baobab Course, Vipingo Ridge, in a Team Kenya versus Team Uganda contest hosted by the Consulate General of the Republic of Uganda in Mombasa.

Team Kenya took the honors, with Dr. Wilson Miano winning overall winner and Rose Musau winning in the ladies’ category and Kagwe Kibugu winning best man. The overall gross winner was Angelo Wasike from Uganda, with Maureen Obunga being second runners-up, Zawadi Safari third runners up.

The tournament is part of the build-up to the 5th Uganda–Kenya Coast Tourism and Innovation Summit from 26–27 October, Mombasa, and carries a clear message: sport is a growing tourism product and a key driver of travel between the two countries. The field included members of the Ugandan tourism trade delegation currently on a familiarisation trip of the Kenya Coast.

Both countries are already using sport to attract visitors. Kenya staged the 57th Magical Kenya Open, a DP World Tour event, in February 2026, and the Kenya Tourism Board’s “WRC Tugende Kenya” campaign around the Safari Rally drew an estimated 33,000 regional motorsport fans, many from Uganda. In Uganda, the Rwenzori Marathon attracted 18,000 visitors from 36 countries and 6,000 runners in 2025, with about one in five runners coming from outside Uganda. The next test is the region’s biggest yet: Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, the first time the tournament will be held in East Africa.

“Golf brings people to the Coast who stay longer, spend more and come back. Hosting Ugandan and Kenyan golfers on the same course shows what Vipingo Ridge and the Coast can offer as a golfing destination,” said Sifa Dena, Captain for Malindi Golf and Country Club and MC of the tournament.

“Sport is one of the most natural bridges between our people. Every Ugandan golfer, runner or football fan who travels to Kenya, and every Kenyan who travels to Uganda, strengthens the regional integration that our two countries are working toward. With AFCON 2027 ahead, sports tourism is a product we must build together,” said Amb. Herbert Kiguli, Consul General of the Republic of Uganda in Mombasa.

“The course was a fantastic test and the hospitality was even better. I will be back with my golfing friends next year for the Kenya Coast Open,” said Dr. Wilson Miano, overall winner, Team Kenya.

The Summit opens on Monday, 26 October at Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort & Spa, Mombasa, under the theme “Unlocking Tourism Opportunities: Resolving Policy Bottlenecks through Technology, Youth and Seamless Mobility across East Africa.”