After failing to secure government funding, a section of the national Scrabble team, the “Word Warriors,” has embarked on a long road journey to Lusaka, Zambia, for the 2026 East, Central and Southern Africa Scrabble Championships (ECASA) set for this weekend.
Led by captain Willy Mwangi, the team will travel approximately 2,393km one way, a total of 4,786km for the round trip, spending six days on the road, three each way.
About 25 players are expected to represent Kenya at the three-day championships, which run from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon.
Mwangi confirmed that he is among those opting for the road trip as the team seeks to defend both the team and individual titles.
“Some players are using the road after failing to secure government funding to facilitate travel. We have to fund ourselves because of the love of the game,” said Mwangi.
The road contingent departed Nairobi on Monday at 4 a.m., passing through Namanga, Arusha and Tunduma, with arrival in Lusaka expected on Wednesday evening.
“We expect to be in Lusaka by Wednesday. As a captain, we have done this before, and psychologically we are prepared. It will not affect our performance,” he said.
Mwangi expressed confidence that the team will be well-rested ahead of the competition.
“With the games starting on Friday, arriving Wednesday gives us Thursday to rest. That means our performance will not be affected,” he added.
The captain remains optimistic about Kenya’s chances of retaining both titles, citing the team’s depth and experience.
“We have been winning these titles for many years. We are very confident of retaining them because we have several international masters compared to our opponents,” he said.
“Our priority is the team title, followed by the individual title, which we have rarely allowed anyone else to claim.”
Mwangi revealed that each player is expected to spend approximately KSh60,000 for the trip, with about KSh26,000 going towards transport.
“While in Lusaka, we will look for affordable accommodation to manage costs,” he noted.
The Easter weekend annual Scrabble championships have long been dominated by Kenya, with the country consistently clinching both overall team and individual titles.
In 2025, Allan Oyende anchored the national team to gold on home soil in Nairobi, while also securing the individual title.
This continued Kenya’s impressive run, following a similar performance in 2024 when Patrick Nderitu Gitonga won the individual crown and led the team to victory in Gaborone, Botswana.
In 2023, Willy Mwangi claimed the individual title, guiding Kenya to yet another team triumph. This came after the 2022 edition, where Allan Oyende had also led the country to victory, further cementing Kenya’s dominance in the region.
The championships were not held between 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, prior to the disruption, Kenya had already established a stronghold on the competition, winning three consecutive titles in 2017, 2018, and 2019 to complete a hat-trick.
Written by Duncan Mutua Askofu
