Kenyan amateur golfers are in Eldoret this weekend for the Manchester Salver, a three-day championship that ends on Sunday 8 November 2026. The entry list has 118 golfers, all chasing Order of Merit points, the ranking score for the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship season.
The event is sponsored by NCBA Group, a bank listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, which also backs the wider amateur circuit. For US readers it is a look at how a Kenyan bank backs amateur sport across a regional golf season.
What Is Happening in Eldoret
The Manchester Salver runs from Friday 6 November to Sunday 8 November at Eldoret Golf Club, a par-71 course in Kenya’s Rift Valley region. It is one stop in the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship Series, run by the Kenya Golf Union, the national amateur golf body.
Players come from Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, and the entry list includes Elvis Muigua, Josphat Rono, Felix Dusabe and Rafael Leming’ani. Rwanda’s Jean D’Amour Hitayezu, who finished third at the previous event, is also entered.
Stroke play means every shot counts and the lowest total wins. The points count towards the season ranking that the championship series keeps.
How the Season Got Here
The Salver follows the recent NCBA Golf Park Open, where Shashwat Harish, 16, of Muthaiga Golf Club, a Nairobi club, won his first Kenya Amateur Golf Championship title. He shot rounds of 65, 67 and 67 for 199, which is 11 under par, meaning 11 strokes better than the course’s par score, the expected number of shots for a top player.
Harish finished two strokes ahead of John Kamaisi, who posted 201, and Hitayezu was third on 207. Kamaisi had led the season’s Order of Merit table in July.
A fairway and putting green at a golf club in Nairobi. File photo. photo. Muthaiga Golf Club, Nairobi, December 2011. Photo: Jeff Turner, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.The Club Series Beside the Championship
The NCBA Golf Series is a separate circuit for club golfers of every level, scored in points rather than strokes. Its latest qualifier at Nakuru Golf Club was won by Peter Gathogo, who scored 77 points off handicap 6, and Nyambura Muigai, who scored 88 points off handicap 19.
A handicap is a number that lets weaker and stronger players compete fairly. Mikael Kihara won the junior title at Nakuru with 77 points.
The Finale and the Money
The series is due to end at Karen Country Club in Nairobi, with NCBA’s January calendar listing Friday 27 November 2026. Later reports give Saturday 28 or Sunday 29 November, so the exact day is not settled.
NCBA said in January that it would invest more than KSh 60 million (about US$462,000 at 129.81 shillings per dollar, RT rate of 7 November) in golf in 2026. The Kenya Golf Union is due about KSh 6 million (about US$46,000) to support the amateur championship.
What It Means for You
If you follow African sport or plan a trip to Kenya, this weekend brings a top-level amateur event to Eldoret, a city in the Rift Valley. The final round is on Sunday 8 November, and the organisers set the dates.
For investors in East African banks, NCBA’s golf budget is a public figure that the bank announced in January. The Salver is one of the events it pays for.
What Is Not Known
The final-round scores and the winner are not known, because the final round is still to be played on Sunday. It is also not known how many of the 118 entrants will start.
The prize money for the Salver has no confirmed figure from an organiser, so we give none. The grand finale date is also open: 27 November in NCBA’s January calendar, 28 or 29 November in later reports.
More: Kenya news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Manchester Salver?
It is an amateur golf championship at Eldoret Golf Club, Kenya, from 6 to 8 November 2026. It is part of the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship Series and carries Order of Merit points.
When Is the NCBA Golf Series Finale?
It is due at Karen Country Club in Nairobi. NCBA’s January calendar listed Friday 27 November 2026, and later reports give 28 or 29 November.
Who Won the NCBA Golf Park Open?
Shashwat Harish, 16, of Muthaiga Golf Club won at 11 under par with 199 strokes. He finished two strokes ahead of John Kamaisi.
What Is the Order of Merit?
It is a season-long ranking in which amateurs earn points for their finishing place at each event. Organisers use it to rank players over the season.
Sources: NCBA Group, NCBA Golf Series and 2026 season launch, 15 January 2026; Kenya Golf Union, Kenya Amateur Golf Championship Series fixtures and entry list, 5 to 6 November 2026; RT, USD/KES rate, 7 November 2026.
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