Allan Oyende will be chasing a fourth title when he competes at the East, Central and Southern Africa (ECASA) Scrabble championships set for April 7-10.
Last year, Oyende helped the national team, Word Warriors, retain the title they won in 2019.
Oyende, who trains at Stima Club, Nairobi, said he is working on his stamina to ensure he wins his home championships.
“We are playing some leagues, especially with players from Nairobi as a way of sharpening my skills ahead of the ECASA event,” said Oyende, who won the overall title after five qualifiers.
The qualifying round started in Nyahururu and where Nderitu Gitonga emerged as the winner. Oyende then won three legs — Nairobi, Standard Chartered and Kitui — before Willy Mwangi won the last qualifier in Bondo.
“Remember I lost the last qualifier in Bondo, which means I will have to work harder to be at my best. I am still working on my skills. The three-day event will not be easy and, alongside some other players, were are working on stamina to last us three days. I really don’t know how skillful I am at the moment but my hope is to retain my title,” added Oyende.
Oyende, who won 2014, 2018 and 2022 ECASA titles, is sharpening his skills as he plans to enter the history books by becoming one of the few players to have retained their titles in the last 16 years.
“I normally train here at Stima Club and we are playing a league in Nairobi. This league has many players and it has taken us about three months to conclude,” he said.
Oyende, who is an engineer, is also part of Team Kenya to the World English Scrabble Players Association Championships to be held in Las Vegas, United States of America in August.
