18/09/2026
Kenya Aquatics ready for National Time Trials as swimmers chase Uganda slots
Kenya Aquatics Technical Director Omar Omari has declared the stage set for this weekend’s National Time Trials Swimming Championship, where more than 250 swimmers drawn from over 40 clubs will take to the water at Potterhouse School Senior on September 19-20.
With places in the national team on the line, Omari expects a fiercely contested two days of short-course racing as swimmers seek to translate months of preparation into times worthy of national selection.
“We are more than ready. The technical officials have been adequately trained and the venue is also ready,” Omari said ahead of the championship.
“The coaches have done their job and now it is the athletes to prove themselves. We expect competitive racing because there is a lot at stake, particularly with selection to the national team.”
The championship carries added significance as it will be used to select Kenya’s team for the 11th Africa Aquatics Zone III Swimming Championships in Kampala, Uganda, next month. Africa Aquatics has scheduled the regional championship for October 21-25 at Kampala International School Uganda.
The national trials have assembled a broad field from Kenya’s established swimming programmes as well as emerging clubs, with the depth of the entry expected to produce close contests across the programme.
Among the notable clubs on the start list are Thika Swim Academy, Braeburn Swimming Club, Bandari Swim Club, Mombasa Aquatics, Pro Swim Academy Kenya, Golden Elites Swim Team, Hydra Aquatics Club, Blue Ocean Swim Club, Rware Swimming Club, Rapids Swim Club, Torpedo, Amazi Dolphins, Aqua Elite Swim Academy-Nakuru, Aqua Shark Fin, Genesis Sports Limited, Kenton College, Little Fish Swim Club, Swimfit Classic Kisumu among others.
The geographical spread of the entries gives the championship a distinctly national character, bringing together swimmers from Nairobi, the Coast, Mt. Kenya, Nyanza and other swimming centres around the country for one of the most consequential meets on the domestic calendar.
For the leading swimmers, there will be little room for error. Unlike a championship where medals provide the overriding measure of success, the stopwatch will carry particular weight at Potterhouse. Performances over the two days will provide the selectors with the evidence they need when assembling the Kenyan squad for Uganda.
Meanwhile, Bandari head into the trials carrying strong domestic form after topping the combined standings at the National Junior Swimming Championship in Nanyuki last month. That championship attracted more than 600 swimmers representing over 60 clubs and schools, providing an early indication of the depth developing within Kenya’s competitive swimming ranks.
The Potterhouse meet also opens a demanding stretch of the season for Kenya Aquatics, with the federation facing a succession of continental, global and domestic assignments over the coming months.
Kenya Aquatics President Teddy Wamunyu welcomed the swimmers to the trials and stressed that selection for national duty will be handled independently by the athletes selection committee.
“I take this opportunity to welcome the athletes for the trials. The selection will be done by the athletes selection committee, which is very independent from any interference,” Wamunyu said.
He also appealed to corporate organisations and other potential partners to support the federation as it seeks to meet the demands of an increasingly busy competition programme.
“We are calling upon partners and sponsors to come on board and support the national federation and, in return, they will get publicity which will subsequently increase the visibility of their brands,” Wamunyu said.
“The calendar is tight since we have other upcoming events such as the Africa Aquatics Zone III, the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar and the World Aquatics short-course championships in Beijing.
“We also have another short-course nationals at St. Philip Neri in Machakos in November, and we are calling upon stakeholders to adequately prepare for it.”
The international calendar leaves Kenya’s leading swimmers with little respite after the Uganda assignment. The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games are scheduled for October 31 to November 13 in Senegal, with swimming taking place from November 1-6.
The World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) will follow in Beijing, China, from December 1-6, placing another major international target on the calendar for swimmers seeking to carry Kenyan colours onto the global stage.
Those assignments, however, can wait.
For two days at Potterhouse, the equation will be much simpler: step onto the blocks, race the clock and make a case for a place in the Kenyan team bound for Kampala.
