DR CONGO SILENCE KENYA AT HOME TO WIN ZONE 3 BOXING TITLE FOR THIRD YEAR RUNNING
▪️ A black Friday for the Kenyans who manage five gold medals to tally with Uganda but finish second because of having more silvers
DR Congo yet again maintained their ascendancy in Africa’s amateur boxing scene to win the Africa Zone 3 Championship for the third time in a row in Nairobi on Friday, October 24, 2025.
In what was expected to be a close and a fiercely contested final showdown between Kenya and DR Congo, the latter didn’t break a sweat easily topping the medals table at Kasarani Gym.
DR Congo had 17 finalists and Kenya 16 but the bubble burst for the hosts managing only five gold despite being represented by 35 boxers, the highest number among the eight participating countries.
The performance of most Kenyan boxers was below par, and the situation was made worse by giving away three walkovers.
Flyweights Diouf “Bashday” Muimi and Faith “Fekete” Nafuna were missing in action reportedly recruited by the KDF while lightweight Emily “Ring Princess” Juma was unwell and only entered the ring as a formality but did not fight her DR Congo opponent Munga Zalia.
DR Congo won the overall crown for the third year running with 12 gold, four silver and four bronze medals followed by Kenya five gold, 11 silver and eight bronzes while Uganda placed third on five gold, four silvers and five bronze medals.
Some decisions left fans, boxers and coaches with raised eyebrows.
East Africa’s most successful female boxer Liz “Mkono Chuma” Andiego was surprised she lost 3-2 to newcomer, southpaw Mwamba Lulua from the DR Congo.
“I’m being robbed even at home, it’s unbelievable,” a bitter Andiego told boxersworld.co.ke in an interview unable to digest her first ever defeat on Kenya soil. The 38-year-old Andiego has not lost to a fellow Kenyan for 15 years now.
Equally disappointed by the officiating was Tanzanian coaches Samwel “Batman” Kapungu, Hassan Mzonge and Doto Zugo.
Kapungu, the head coach of the team, was so bitter when African Games bronze medallist Ezra Paul narrowly lost 3-2 to DR Congo’s Kitangila Mweba.
Batman and comrades remained at the ringside complaining loudly on the controversial decision.
“The judges have been unfair to us in our fights even this one of Ezra Paul which we won clean,” said Batman, Tanzania’s 2024 Coach of the Year.
They were however relieved after Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Yusuf Changalawe won Tanzania’s only gold medal with a 3-2 points victory over Kenya’s Humphrey “Jakababa” Ochieng.
The ensuing heavyweight bout saw Kenya’s Peter “The Beast” Abuti further dampening the mood of the Kenyan fans. He was expected to brighten the day for the home team after four defeats but he put up a disappointing performance to go down on points 3-2 to Uganda’s Abdul Aziz, grand son of former Uganda’s President Idd Amin. The bout itself was a stinker as both boxers resorted to holding each other occasionally tumbling down to the canvas making it appear like a wrestling match.
Every cloud has a silver lining as the cute Landi Mawe beauty Veronica Mbithe finally won her first ever gold medal and the first one for Kenya in the finals of the Zone 3 event. Mbithe aka Pioneer beat Uganda’s Brenda Muduwa 3-2 in the light-flyweight division.
Her victory was wildly celebrated by her mum who was among the fans watching the finals.
Africa Military Games welterweight champion Friza “Smiling Assasin” Asiko displayed the most polished performance among the Kenyan winners in her 4-1 victory over DR Congo’s Muleketsi Nsii in the light-middleweight class.
Uganda’s fast-rising featherweight Fatuma “The Thunder” Nabikolo maintained her sparkling show outboxing DR Congo’s Phoba Kerene to clinch the female featherweight gold by unanimous 5-0 decision.
“I’m so happy I’ve won gold I’m now going back to the drawing board to sharpen my jab, increase speed, more craftiness in the ring and footwork,” said Fatuma.
The men’s featherweight bout between Uganda’s African Games bronze medallist Kassim Murungi and Kenya’s Mwinyi Kombo did not produce the expected fireworks. It turned out to be a scrappy affair with Murungi squeezing 3-2 points win.
Final medals table compiled by boxersworld.co.ke
Gold. Silver. Bronze
1) DR Congo 12 5 4
2) Kenya. 5 11 8
3) Uganda 5 4 5
4) Cameroon 2. 0 3
5) Tanzania 1 4 9
6) Ethiopia 0. 1 2
7) Gabon. 0 0 3
8) Rwanda. 0 0 2
