After successfully hosting the first World Rafting Cup Series on the African continent in July 2026 at Rapids Camp Sagana, Kenya is setting its sights on hosting the prestigious competition for a second time.
Through its relatively young but ambitious federation, the Kenya Rafting Federation (KRF) is preparing to submit a bid to the international rafting governing body to host a World Rafting Cup Series event on next year’s calendar.
“We are talking to the Ministry to explore the possibility of getting some sponsorship and, of course, approval. The approval to host belongs to the government of the day, and the Cabinet Secretary is the person who gives the bid. So, we are trying to do that through the Principal Secretary to explore the possibility of bidding for the World Cup Series, the Rafting Series Championship, next year,” said William Kinuthia, Secretary General of the Kenya Rafting Federation.
“Once the government gives the nod, we will travel to Valle d’Aosta in Italy, where the President of the United Rafting Federation, Danilo Barmaz, is based, so that we can sign an agreement in October. Once we get the bid, we hope to form a Local Organising Committee (LOC) and start preparations for next year’s championship in Kenya,” added Kinuthia.
At the 2026 World Rafting Cup Series, Kenya hosted 19 actively competing countries, with participants from 35 countries taking part more broadly in the championship events.
Buoyed by the experience, Kenya is optimistic about hosting an even larger and more impressive series next year.
“Since we don’t have issues such as Ebola, and with the Iran-US conflict resolved, we expect to attract about 15 countries from outside Africa and around 20 teams from African countries. That would give us about 35 countries. Zimbabwe and Zambia have already confirmed that they would like to participate. South Africa also wants to send a team because, following the challenges of xenophobic attacks, the situation is now stable and they want to participate,” Kinuthia explained.
He added that the federation would seek additional sponsorship to help stage a bigger and more memorable event.
A successful bid to host another World Rafting Cup Series would further strengthen Kenya’s efforts to transform its rafting success into a sustainable sports-tourism economy. It would create opportunities for local businesses, attract international visitors, generate employment and further position Sagana as a global adventure sports destination.
