The Nyayo National Stadium Indoor Arena erupted with excitement on Saturday as Kenya’s karate stars delivered a commanding performance at the Union of African Karate Federations (UFAK) Region East Karate Championships in Nairobi, with David Ngati emerging as the standout athlete after clinching two gold medals.
Ngati dazzled the home crowd by winning both the Senior Men’s Individual Kata and Team Kata titles, underlining his status as one of East Africa’s leading karatekas.
The Kenyan star first claimed gold in the Individual Kata category after edging compatriot Daniel Vaati in a closely contested final decided by judges’ flags. Three of the four judges awarded the contest to Ngati following a technically impressive display marked by precision, rhythm and explosive execution.
Earlier, he had overcome Bernard Kinachu in another tense encounter, narrowly winning their semifinal clash to book his place in the final.
Ngati completed a memorable day in the Team Kata competition, teaming up with Vaati and Kinachu for Kenya B in a thrilling final against Ethiopia. The Ethiopian side had earlier eliminated Kenya A, but the Kenyan trio responded with a synchronized and technically polished performance that earned them three judges’ flags against one, securing another gold medal for the hosts. Kenya A settled for bronze.
An emotional Ngati described the victory as redemption after falling short at the previous championships in Ethiopia.
“I’m so happy especially with the Kata victory because last time in Ethiopia I lost it. I have been training and aiming to get it and it is my joy that I have made right what went wrong in Ethiopia,” he said.
“I have to keep training hard because my dream is to win gold in the African Games and the World Cup as well.”
Kenya also dominated the women’s events, with Georgina Kanini leading the charge. She won gold in the Female Senior Individual Kata ahead of fellow Kenyan Wambui Mwangi, who claimed silver.
Kanini later completed a golden double by defeating Happiness Nyangate 9-6 in the Female Senior Kumite 61kg final.
Madagascar’s Revaconarivo Andhy secured gold in the Female Senior 55kg Kumite after overcoming Kenya’s Anna Bosenera in the final, having earlier defeated Helida Otieno 10-2 in the semifinals.
One of the most thrilling contests of the day came in the Male Senior 67kg Kumite category, where Uganda’s Hidhir Ndikumana edged Ethiopia’s Natanaen Habtamu Taye 4-3.
The cadet events also produced memorable moments. Ethiopia’s Etsubdick Belay captured gold in Cadet Kata after defeating Kenya’s Loley Wambui. However, Wambui gained revenge in the Cadet Open Weight Kumite final, overpowering Belay 5-1 in a fiercely contested bout that had spectators on their feet.
Another Ethiopian success came in the Male Cadet 52kg Kumite, where Tsagagazeab Gosa defeated Kenya’s Januaries Wambua 5-2 to take gold.
Kenya’s Flavian Kemunto delivered one of the most dominant performances of the championships in the Female Junior 59kg Kumite final, crushing Gloria Kanini 9-0 to secure gold. Kemunto had earlier defeated Janet Washington 5-2 in the semifinals and carried that momentum into the title contest.
Throughout the day, the Nyayo Indoor Arena pulsed with energy as Kenyan supporters cheered every successful strike, kick and victory by the home team. While the Nairobi weather remained chilly outside, the atmosphere inside the venue was intense, passionate and fiercely competitive.
For Kenya, the championships served as both a showcase of emerging talent and a statement of growing regional strength in karate, led by Ngati’s golden performances that could signal even greater success on the continental and global stage.