Captain George Oyoo is bullish about Kenya's chances at the Davis Cup Group 4 that starts next week in Kigali, Rwanda.
Speaking on Friday, Oyoo said the team selected for the week-long event is a blend of youth and experience, ready to do the country proud.
"The boys are fired up and ready for battle. It's been two months of intense training, perfecting our strengths and working on our weaknesses. The boys are eager to challenge for the top two spots, which will guarantee us automatic qualification," said Oyoo.
The team is made up of Ishmael Changawa, Ibrahim Yego, Derrick Ominde and Spain-based siblings Kael and Keean Shah.
Team Kenya had a dismal campaign last year, losing all four Group 3 matches in Algeria.
Kenya lost 3-0 to Morocco and 2-1 to all of Algeria, Namibia and Benin to drop to Group 4.
Keean said he will use the disappointment of Algeria to fuel his campaign.
“We have learnt from last year. We need to take those lessons to this event by being sharper and more mentally prepared. There's energy in the team as well as some good vibe as we look forward to competing against the best,” noted Shah.
Eight teams, pooled into two groups of four, will contest the tournament.
Joining Kenya are Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria and hosts Rwanda.
The top two teams in each pool qualify for the semifinals with the two finalists earning promotion to Group 3 next year. The bottom two teams will be relegated.
Shah termed Mozambique as one of the teams to beat.
"They have a strong squad and our matches have been close to call. We will take one match at a time," he said.
The team leave on Sunday with the first round of matches set for Wednesday.
