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By Borniface Anyanzwa, Kenya Swimming TV

The road to Glasgow is now clear, and for four of Kenya’s brightest swimming talents, the dream of representing the nation on one of the biggest sporting stages in the Commonwealth is about to become reality.

Kenya has unveiled a compact but highly competitive four-member swimming team for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, a squad carefully selected to carry the nation’s hopes and showcase the remarkable progress Kenyan swimming continues to make on the international stage.

The team comprises Sara Mose of Fithub Aquatics, Imara Bella Thorpe of Barracuda Swimming Club, Stephen Ndegwa of Bandari Swimming Club, and Haniel Kudwoli of Otters Swim Club. Guiding the squad will be experienced national coach Shirley Maina, also from Otters Swim Club, whose growing reputation on the continental and global stage has made her one of the most respected figures in Kenyan swimming.

The selection comes on the heels of Kenya’s impressive performance at the 17th Africa Aquatics Junior and Senior Swimming Championships in Oran, Algeria, where Kenyan swimmers demonstrated that they can compete with the continent’s finest and return home with medals and national records.

At the forefront of Kenya’s charge is Sara Mose, whose performances in Oran captured the attention of the African swimming fraternity. The Fithub Aquatics star produced a sensational swim in the women’s 100m freestyle, stopping the clock at 57.49 seconds to claim bronze while rewriting the Kenyan national record books. She followed that achievement with another podium finish, winning silver in the fiercely contested 50m freestyle in 25.89 seconds.

In Glasgow, Sara will shoulder a heavy but exciting programme, competing in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle and 50m breaststroke. Given her recent form, many believe she has the potential to challenge some of the Commonwealth’s established stars.

Joining her is the versatile Imara Bella Thorpe, whose rapid development continues to excite Kenyan swimming fans. Imara will compete in the 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly and 50m freestyle, events that perfectly suit her explosive speed and technical efficiency in the water.

For the men, Stephen Ndegwa heads to Glasgow carrying the confidence of an athlete who has consistently demonstrated resilience and determination. The Bandari Swimming Club swimmer will focus on the 50m and 100m butterfly events after opting out of the 50m freestyle, allowing him to fully concentrate on his strongest disciplines.

Meanwhile, Haniel Kudwoli remains one of Kenya’s most reliable medal prospects. The Otters Swim Club swimmer, who earned bronze at the Africa Championships, has established himself as the country’s premier breaststroker. As the current national record holder in both the 50m and 100m breaststroke, Haniel will compete in the 50m breaststroke, 100m breaststroke and 50m freestyle.

Preparation for Glasgow has already intensified. Ndegwa and Haniel are currently based in Pretoria, South Africa, undertaking a high-performance training camp designed to sharpen their race readiness against elite competition. From South Africa, the duo will travel directly to Scotland a week before the Games to allow sufficient time for acclimatisation and final preparations.

Sara and Imara are also training abroad, exposing themselves to world-class facilities and competitive environments that will be crucial as they prepare to face some of the strongest swimmers in the Commonwealth.

Beyond the individual races, Kenya will also field teams in the 4x100m Mixed Freestyle Relay and the 4x100m Mixed Medley Relay, events that provide an exciting opportunity for the nation to showcase its growing depth and teamwork on the international stage.

The team selection has received strong backing from the newly appointed leadership of Kenya Aquatics. Newly appointed Kenya Aquatics President Teddy Wamunyu lauded the selection process, describing the final squad as balanced, competitive and representative of the country’s current swimming standards.

“We have selected a team that reflects performance, consistency and potential. It is a well-balanced squad with athletes who have earned their places through merit and recent results. We believe they have what it takes to represent Kenya with distinction and continue raising the profile of our sport internationally,” said Wamunyu.

His remarks underline a renewed commitment by the federation to transparency, athlete-centred development and performance-based selection, principles that many stakeholders believe will drive the sport to greater heights in the coming years.

For coach Shirley Maina, the Glasgow assignment marks yet another significant chapter in an already impressive coaching journey. Having accompanied the Kenyan team to last year’s World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, she brings invaluable international experience, technical expertise and calm leadership to the squad.

As the countdown to Glasgow gathers pace, optimism continues to grow within Kenya’s swimming community. The achievements in Oran demonstrated that Kenyan swimmers can compete among Africa’s elite. Glasgow now presents an even bigger stage,a chance to test themselves against some of the world’s best and inspire the next generation of swimmers back home.

The mission is clear. The preparation is underway. The nation is watching.

And when the starting buzzer sounds in Glasgow, four determined swimmers carrying the Kenyan flag will dive into the pool chasing not only personal bests and national records, but also a place in the history of Kenyan swimming. The journey from local pools to the Commonwealth stage is complete.

Now comes the moment to make waves.