Nairobi | Thursday, 8 January 2026
Absa Bank Kenya has committed KSh4 million to sponsor the final two legs of the Sunshine Development Tour – East Africa Swing, giving a late boost to the regional professional golf circuit as it heads into its season-defining stretch.
The ninth and tenth legs of the Tour will be staged at Thika Greens Golf Club from January 14 to 16, followed by the season finale at Karen Country Club from January 19 to 21. Each tournament will carry a prize purse of KSh2 million, with Absa’s sponsorship supporting logistics and prize money enhancement.
Beyond the headline sponsorship, the bank has set aside a further KSh3 million for leverage activities, including customer engagements and on-ground activations, underlining a broader commercial and brand investment around the Tour.
The funding comes at a pivotal moment in the Tour’s inaugural season, which was launched in 2025 to address a long-standing shortage of regular, high-quality professional golf competition in East Africa. The Karen Country Club event will conclude the season, with the top 12 players on the combined East Africa Swing and South Africa’s Big Easy Tour Order of Merit earning direct playing cards on the Sunshine Tour.
Absa Bank Kenya’s Head of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs, Charles Wokabi, said the partnership reflects the lender’s focus on identifying and supporting talent early, while enabling long-term progression.
“At Absa, we see the story behind ambition and the discipline it takes to move from promise to excellence,” Mr Wokabi said. “The Sunshine Development Tour offers Kenyan golfers a clear pathway to global stages such as the Magical Kenya Open. Our support for these final two events is about unlocking local talent at a pivotal moment.”
He added that the bank’s involvement in sport mirrors its wider purpose of enabling progress for customers and communities.
“Progress is unlocked when communities have access to opportunity and the right partners to back them. Just as this Tour represents progress for professional golfers, at Absa we strive to unlock opportunities for our customers every day,” he said.
The Sunshine Development Tour is sanctioned to award Official World Golf Ranking points, a key incentive for players seeking advancement to major international tours and Olympic qualification. Organisers say maintaining professional tournament standards is critical to sustaining that pathway.
Peter Gacheru, CEO of IMG Kenya and promoter of the Tour’s East Africa Swing, described Absa’s backing as timely and strategically important.
“These final two events are not just another set of tournaments; they represent the culmination of months of competition and the gateway to international opportunities for our players,” Mr Gacheru said. “Partnerships like this allow us to deliver tournaments at the right standard and build a sustainable pathway for East African golfers.”
He noted that the Tour’s first season has revealed strong regional demand for structured professional competition.
“We are seeing golfers improve their world rankings, gain exposure and compete with real purpose. Support from partners like Absa strengthens our vision of making East Africa a meaningful part of the global golf landscape,” he added.
The Thika Greens leg has attracted a field of 83 golfers from 11 countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Malawi, Zimbabwe and the United States, reflecting the Tour’s growing international reach.
Absa Bank Kenya, which is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, has positioned sport sponsorship as part of its wider brand and sustainability strategy. The lender operates in 38 counties, with 89 branches, 208 ATMs and more than 8,000 agency outlets, offering personal and institutional banking, bancassurance and asset management services.
As the Sunshine Development Tour closes its debut season, organisers and sponsors are betting that sustained corporate backing will help turn regional promise into globally competitive performance.