Indiza, Wakhu, Mediratta start early preps for 2027 MKO

From Left: David Wakhu, Dismas Indiza, Kenya Tourism Board CEO June Chepkemei, Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat Director General Kenneth Mwige, and Mohit Mediratta after signing a sponsorship deal in Nairobi on February 24, 2026. [Jnah Onyango, Standard] Just three days after the conclusion of 2026 Magical Kenya Open (MKO) at the par 70 Karen Country Club in Nairobi, three Kenyan pros, namely David Wakhu, Dismas Indiza and Mohit Mediratta, have commenced preparations for the 58th edition of the tournament slated for next year. The trio on Tuesday penned a lucrative deal with Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat and the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) that will now support their bid and preparedness for the 2027 MKO, where the pros are plotting to make the cut. The support will see the three pros take part in 25 golf events lined up from April ahead of the next edition of the MKO. The contests, both local and international, have been drawn from the second edition of Sunshine Development Tour-East Africa Swing and the second edition of the Equator Tour series that tees off this April. Only Njoroge Kibugu survived the axe in this year's MKO on the second day to make the cut and sail into the money bracket among the 18 Kenyan players (12 pros and 6 amateurs) who took part in the 2026 MKO that concluded in Karen on Sunday. While hailing the kind gesture that has come to them so early, Kakamega-based player Indiza, aka 'Mzee wa Kazi' pledged to be ruthless with his practices now that he is free from financial burdens that normally come with playing golf. "I'm 57 now, but I'll head to the gym to trim up. I'm going to practise over and over to perfect my swings and short game. I'll make a comeback never seen before. My aim is a top ten finish in the next edition," Indiza told Standard Sports in Nairobi after penning the new contract with the sponsors. "With this kind of amazing support, my distractions on the pitch are now over. I will only have to blame myself for any poor performance on the fairways from now onwards," added Indiza. Wakhu, who is also a residential pro at Golf Park, said he is delighted with the support, which he termed as a step in the right direction for local players. "Personally, I'm going to be a permanent fixture on the range where I'll be hitting over 200 balls a day. I'm going to work on my tee shots and putts on the greens so as to be blemish-free in tournaments. I'm also hitting the gym very soon. From now onwards, things will be done a little bit differently since finances are there," Wakhu declared. He further added: "We will hold our shoulders very high in the course of our preparations; we are going to work on our mental strength so we have the self-belief that MKO can be won on Kenyan soil by a Kenyan player. We are going to trust the process." Mediratta said he is so full of gratitude for the sponsorship. "Support for golf has been quite scarce of late, and this has seen us prepare and play golf with lots of pressure. But with this sponsorship, the financial burden has been taken off us. "Through the program that has been created for us in this new journey, it is now apparent that we are going to prepare and play the game with lots of freedom since the financial baggage has been offloaded from our shoulders," Mediratta said. "We look forward to walking step by step with the sponsors to grow and become better players and better human beings as we strive to put Kenya on the global map." Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat Director General Kenneth Mwige said the support they are extending to the trio is meant to put Kenya on the global map as a top sporting and tourism hub. "You know, MKO and the WRC Safari Rally are among the world events that give Kenya over 500 million eyeballs annually, that's why we are getting ready to seize this opportunity," said Mwige. "We are also encouraging the private sector to come in and sponsor the players, as there are seven chances where the corporate can do their brand placement on each golfer. "We want 30 per cent of sports sponsorship to come from the government while 70 per cent emanates from the private sector." On her part, KTB Chief Executive Officer June Chepkemei noted that Kenya had a splendid display in this year's MKO, and that is the reason they are coming on board to support the trio to help the country nail more cuts in the next event. "The success of MKO this season only means that a lot of focus was put in place to develop the sport across the country. "We are going to provide these three players with adequate logistic support to give them an edge in the next edition of the MKO showdown," Chepkemei underlined.

Indiza, Wakhu, Mediratta start early preps for 2027 MKO

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Indiza, Wakhu, Mediratta start early preps for 2027 MKO

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