MAARUFU MOHAMED-GOLFNEWSLINKS;
Philip Ochola of Muthaiga Golf Club was elected unopposed as the 2023/2024 Kenya Golf Union Chairman during the Union’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Friday 26th May 2023, at Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi.
David Ndung’u of Limuru Country Club assumed the Vice Chairman while Chris Kinuthia of Thika Sports Club and Karugu Macharia of Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club were elected as Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer positions respectively after also being elected unopposed.
From the 91 ballots that were cast out of the 104 eligible voters representing an 88% turnout and the six executive positions were won by Brian Akun (55 votes), Francis Wambua (70 votes), Ndiga Kithae (60 votes), Jonathan Marucha (72 votes), Sammy Itemere (74 votes) and Thomas Mwaura (60 votes) out of the eleven nominees.
In his acceptance speech, Philip Ochola expressed sincere appreciation to Muthaiga Golf Club for nominating him and all the affiliate golf clubs for entrusting him with the Chairmanship.
The new chairman said that his top priority during his tenure as Chairman is to ensure the successful completion of ongoing projects.
“I am determined to finalize the Lenana & Kasarani high performance center projects, which holds great potential for nurturing young talent in our country. Additionally, I aim to see the introduction of golf in schools come to fruition, as it is vital for attracting and grooming the next generation of golfers. I also pledge to promote our Elite squad players, providing them with opportunities to excel and securing scholarships to further their golfing careers,” said Ochola.
The Chairman expressed his intention to nurture young talent, take care of the welfare of the infirm golfers, the disabled players and caddies.
“This will be achieved in collaboration with KGU subsidiaries, namely the Junior Golf Foundation, the Kenya Ladies Golf Union, and the Kenya Open Golf Limited, “said Ochola.
He committed to actively engage the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Culture and Sports, The Ministry of Education and The Ministry of Lands to create a conducive environment for the development of the golf at a national level.
Ochola also promised to partner with the private sector and institutions to develop the game of golf further.
The Outgoing Chairman Njani Ndiritu thanked the committee members for their support during his tenure.
He said that the Union has continued to make significant strides to prioritize Junior Golf, and has signed an MOU with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to introduce golf in schools and urged the new leadership to work together and build upon the foundation that has already been laid. Ndiritu congratulated the new team and called upon the incoming board to extend their utmost support to the Incoming Chairman who will carry the torch forward.
Following the election, Nyali Golf and Country Club Captain Dines Sasan and lady Captain Mary Mariga congratulated Ochola and promised to support him further in improving the standard of Golf especially the Juniors.
Mombasa Golf Club’s Captain James Gitonga also sent in the Club’s congratulatory messages to Ochola and the new executives.
KGU is a union of 38 golf clubs and 2 golfing societies in Kenya and was formed in 1928 and is Kenya’s oldest continuous sports body affiliated to the Ministry of Sports & Culture, the Royal & Ancient and also the International Golf Federation as the representative body of the golfing sport in Kenya.
THE NEW EXECUTIVE BOARD;
Chairman-Philip Ochola;
Vice-Chairman-David Ndung’u;
Hon. Secretary-Chris Kinuthia;
Hon. Treasurer-Karugu Macharia;
Executive-Brian Akun;
Executive-Francis Wambua;
Executive-Jonathan Marucha;
Executive-Ndiga Kithae;
Executive-Sammy Itemere;
Executive-Thomas Mwaura;
ENDS;
