RismadarVoice Reporters
January 26, 2026
Nigeria’s professional golfer, Francis Epe, has secured qualification for the 2026 Magical Kenya Open, a flagship tournament on the DP World Tour scheduled to hold from February 19 to 22 at the Karen Country Club, Nairobi, Kenya.
Epe earned his place at the prestigious tournament after emerging champion of the sixth CIO Golf Classic, held in November 2025 at the Python Golf Club, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The tournament attracted over 100 professional golfers and featured a prize purse of $50,000.
The CIO Championship is the only golf tournament in West Africa integrated into the Safari Tour mini-league qualification system.
Through the platform, top-performing golfers across selected Safari Tour-affiliated events accumulate points, with the leading finishers earning two exemption tickets to the $2.7 million Magical Kenya Open, one of the few DP World Tour events staged in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Epe claimed one of the exemption slots, while the second ticket was secured by Rwandan professional golfer, Celestin Nsanzuwera.
Speaking on Epe’s achievement, the Chief Executive Officer of Keeves Global Leasing, Ikenna Okafor, who is the sponsor and financier of the CIO Championship, described the feat as a major breakthrough for Nigerian golf.
“This success marks a significant milestone for Nigeria’s professional golf scene,” Okafor said. “It shows that our players can access global tournaments through competitive local platforms. By strengthening these pathways at home, we are developing talent, raising standards, positioning Nigeria as a rising force in African and global golf.”
Okafor also revealed plans to further enhance the CIO Championship, including an increase in the prize purse in future editions to create expanded opportunities for local and regional professional golfers.
With a total prize fund of $2.7 million, the Magical Kenya Open remains a major platform for African golfers to compete at the highest level, drawing elite players from across the continent, around the world.
