Modern Rowing has its origins in early 1933 when the Mombasa Rowing
Club was founded on the Eastern shores of Mombasa Island by the
English expatriate community. They enjoyed pleasure rowing and occasional
competitions with the visiting naval companies and merchant ships
that frequented the Kilindini Harbor.
Later on, the club engaged in various competitions with the Kenyan
navy and other friendly visitors who regularly called to port in
Mombasa.
Mombasa Rowing Club always remained a small club in one corner of the harbor. It was more of a social club integrated with a rowing club. It was in early nineties that the club was put under threat of eviction by a neighboring fishing industry. By 1992, the writing was on the wall and the rowing club came to a sad end when the fishing company forcefully took the land and the club was closed down. This was unfortunate, as much effort had been made by the members to avert the situation.
By 1993, rowing was restarted when Seifuddin Patwa and Alaisdair MacDonald formed the Kenya Rowing Association based at the nearby yacht club. Alaisdair previously rowed at Henley and is a member of the famous Leanders Club. The Kenya Navy Rowing Club became the first club to take interest in competitive rowing. In 1995, Kenya became member of the International Rowing Federation. In 1997, the rowing club moved to a new site on the calm Tudor Creek on the western shore of Mombasa Island. FISA assisted the Kenya Rowing Association by donating some sculls and doubles. These boats have served well but a shortage of equipment is hampering the progress of rowing in other parts of the country.
Kenya sent its first international squad to the 4th African Rowing Championships in South Africa in March 2000 and followed up with participation in the 5th African Rowing Championships in Cairo Egypt in 2002. Indoor rowing and coastal rowing are being practiced in Mombasa as various competitions are organized.
In 2002, Kenya became affiliated with the International Canoe Federation becoming the Kenya Rowing and Canoe Federation. In 2002, Kenyan rowers received Solidarity Scholarships from the International Olympic Committee to train at The Australian Sports Institute in Canberra to prepare for the qualifications for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, which would be the first time Kenya would be represented in rowing.
DID YOU KNOW?
Starting in 2003, the Kenya Rowing and Canoe Federation and Kenya Tourist Board are undertaking a pilot project to promote Kenya as a winter training destination for rowing crews who wish to combine rowing training and some sightseeing. Kenya, in particular Mombasa, offers ideal rowing training on very long seawater creeks. Mombasa has a modern airport and international-standard accommodations. For high-altitude training, Eldoret, a small town at about 2000 meters offers great rowing at the nearby Lessos Dam. Eldoret is also home to Kenya's elite long distance runners, who train at the nearby IAAF training facility. Equipment and infrastructure for visiting crews is yet to be put in place but in due course all the necessary facilities will be available.
REGIONS
Kenya has eight provinces : Coastal, North Eastern, Eastern, Western, Nyanza, Nairobi, and Rift Valley. The climate in Kenya varies from Alpine to Desert. The
highest point is Mt. Kenya at over 5000 meters. Generally there are two rainy seasons in Kenya from April-May called long rains and October-November or short rains.
Avg. temp : Varies from about 10-40C. Best time to visit: August-March when the climate is very favorable with very comfortable temperatures. Rowing can be done all year. Coastal Province where Mombasa and most of the rowing is situated is Kenya's only deep-water harbor. The climate here is favorable all year-round with average sunshine about 12 hours daily. Air temperature about 25C-33C and water temperature of about 25-29C all the year. Sites of Interest: The sites to see in Kenya are many and varied from the beaches of Coastal provinces and many national parks and reserves with a variety of flora and fauna. Kenya hosts the most varieties of birds in the world and the world-renowned Masai Mara national reserve. The Great Rift Valley of Africa and Lake Victoria, the second largest fresh water lake in the world and the source of the longest river in the world, the Nile River.
