▪️Police-KDF rivalry ignites tonight with the soldiers eager to take an early lead against the resilient cops who are the defending champions
May 14, 2026
The opening leg of the 2026 Kenya National Boxing League – the oldest boxing league in Africa – is set for a dramatic, rain-induced change of scenery, but officials assure that the anticipated action inside the ring remains hotter than ever.
Scheduled to run from Thursday, May 14–16, 2026, the premier boxing event has been forced to shift from the outdoor Nyayo Gardens to the indoor Old Town Hall in Nakuru City.
The decision was necessitated by the ongoing heavy rains in Kenya, ensuring the safety of the pugilists and the continuity of the competition.
“Due to weather predictions, we have moved the venue from Nyayo Gardens to the Old Town Hall to ensure the tournament proceeds without disruption,” Boxing Federation of Kenya (BFK) Competition Secretary John Waweru aka Mr Rulebook told boxersworld.co.ke, BFK’s partner in progress.
While the venue offers shelter from the storm outside, it sets the stage for a “rainfall of punches” inside, as the fierce rivalry between the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the Kenya Police Service—fondly known as Chafua Chafua—explodes once more.
The season opener comes just over a month after KDF was crowned the 2026 National Open Boxing Champions, edging out their bitter rivals, the Kenya Police, by a single point. KDF accumulated 23 points against Police’s 22, setting up an explosive showdown in Nakuru where both teams are looking to establish early dominance as BFK this year celebrate the oldest boxing league in Africa at 45 years.
Waweru said this opening leg is crucial for selecting probables for the upcoming IBA Africa Zone 3 Championships in Gabon’s capital city Libreville in June.
Headlining the three-day packed action is KDF’s IBA World Championships light-heavyweight quarter-finalist Robert Okaka aka Man Ngori whose traditional rival, the evergreen Humphrey Ochieng aka Jakababa of Police, has found a new home at cruiserweight where he clinched the Kenya Open title.
In women’s bouts, IBA Africa Zone 3 gold medallist and National Kenya Open flyweight champion, Veronica Mbithe aka Pioneer, will renew her rivalry with Lencer Akinyi of Boxgirls, the latter eager to avenge her points defeat to Mbithe in the Kenya Open finals.
Flyweight landlord Kelvin Maina is back and looks unchallenged while Juma brothers, featherweight Chris and lightweight Ben are the boxers to beat in their respective weight categories with Police newly-crowned national open lightweight champion, southpaw Emmanuel Omollo, all set to maintain his ascendancy.
Africa light-middleweight champion Boniface Mogunde is likely to return to action in Nakuru to renew his rivalry with KDF’s omena-charged Alvin Oduor aka Liwalo Liwe. Mogunde defeated Oduor in the finals of the 2025 IBA Africa Zone 3 Championships in Nairobi.
