The skipper hailed the competition saying it has given Kenyan players a chance to play and interact with some of the best and young cricketers in the continent.
"It's a good tournament, it has given us a great opportunity to represent our country Kenya and battle with experienced players across Africa," he said.
Kenya will meet Mozambique in their second fixture on Wednesday, a clash which Patel predicts will be quite challenging.
"We know they are an improved side, they'll be up for a fight so we have to really prepare well," he stated.
"We are taking this game seriously because winning this match will give us a lee-way into the semis," he added.
In other matches, hosts Nigeria beat Rwanda by 10 wickets in a group B encounter.
The Nigerians had 42 runs, losing no wickets in 36 overs while the Rwandese managed 41 runs for the loss of ten wickets in 36 overs.