Wanjiru Mbugua Karani, the Secretary General of Tennis Kenya, has been elected as the first female president of Eastern Africa.
This achievement also marks her as the second African woman to hold the position of Vice President in the Confederation of African Tennis.
“I am extremely excited to be the first woman president of this zone and the second one in Africa, which means a lot. My passion for the game means I am the right person for this job, and I promise to do my best. I always try to give more than 100%, and I promise to continue doing so.”
“I see so much potential within us, and I am very eager to sit down with all the countries to find out the challenges they are facing and how we are going to help them because I have dreamt of this opportunity,” Wanjiru said.
The election took place during the 50th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Confederation of African Tennis in Nairobi.
The voting process was intense, with Wanjiru and her competitor, Mahamoud Zayya from Comoros, both receiving 5 votes in the first round.
However, in the second round, Wanjiru secured a narrow victory with 6 votes against Zayya’s 5.
The AGM also saw a change in the overall leadership of African tennis.
Jean-Claude Talon from Benin, who is also the president of Benin Tennis, was elected as the new president of the Confederation of African Tennis.
Talon won by a significant margin, securing 25 votes compared to 12 for Nelson Amanze of Botswana.
He succeeds Tunisia’s Tarak Cherif, who had held the position for 19 years.
The election for the presidency required a second round of voting, as no candidate managed to secure three-quarters of the votes from the 38 federations present in the first round.
The AGM was attended by notable figures in tennis, including International Tennis Federation (ITF) boss David Haggerty.
List of the new Confederation of African Tennis officials
CAT PRESIDENT
- Jean-Claude Talon, President of Benin Tennis
Our hearty congratulations to the newly elected CAT President Jean Claude Talon from Benin 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/3YGbr422Xt
— Tennis Kenya (@tennis_kenya) October 28, 2023
CAT Vice Presidents
- Abdelaziz Laarraf – North Africa – vice president Royale Morocco Tennis Federation –(President Zone 1)
- Ifedayo Akindoju – Western Africa –President of Nigeria Tennis- (President Zone 11) (UNOPPOSED)
- Germain Ickonga Akindou – Central Africa – President of Congo Tennis – (president Zone 111 (UNOPPOSED)
- Wanjiru Mbugua Karani – Eastern Africa – Secretary General of Tennis Kenya – (president Zone IV)
- Alberto Junior Jonas – Southern Africa – President Mozambique Tennis Federation– (president Zone V)
Women Representative
- Fatime Kante – Seychelles
