With the national Scrabble Kenya team, Word Warriors, gearing up for the 2025 World English Scrabble Players Association (WESPA) Championships next month, veteran player Patrick Nderitu Gitonga sent a strong warning to his rivals after clinching victory at the Masters Series in Nairobi.
The three-day competition, held from Saturday to Monday, featured 28 intense games that tested the skill and endurance of Kenya’s top-ranked players. Nderitu, who is also the 2024 East, Central and Southern Africa (ECASA) Scrabble Champion—a title he won in Gaborone, Botswana—described his triumph as a blend of “luck and the grace of God.”
Full results https://scrabblekenya.com/tsh/masters15/html/A-standings.html
“Masters events are brutal where every player wants to win, but victory is never guaranteed. I won by a whisker in the final play. It wasn’t a walk in the park but a tough encounter for every competitor,” said Nderitu.
At 59 years old, Nderitu affirmed his readiness to represent Kenya at the upcoming WESPAC Championships scheduled for November 12th to 15th in Accra, Ghana.
Despite limited training facilities back home in Sagana, he said he had to push himself harder to stay competitive.
“With no serious competitors at my backyard, I developed a habit of training and travelling to Nairobi for tougher games. At the Masters, I had to deploy extra skills to finish on top,” he added.
Nderitu, currently ranked Kenya Seed 3, will be among ten national players representing the country in Accra. The team includes Allan Oyende, Bernard Koyyoko, Willy Mwangi, Richard Okechi, and Bernard Amuke, among others.
The veteran started the tournament on a shaky note, losing his opening game to Tony Ochola, but quickly recovered with wins against Philip Mutinda and former Scrabble Kenya chairman Bernard Amuke. Though he stumbled in Game 4 against Ian Oyoo, he bounced back to defeat top contenders including Richard Geria, Patrick Miriti, Kenya One Allan Oyende, Richard Okechi, Kevin Musyoka, Willy Mwangi, Martins Mutahi, and Manase Otieno to seal his overall victory.
Philip Mutinda finished second, while Richard Geria claimed the third spot to complete the podium.
Top 10 Leaderboard
- Patrick Nderitu Gitonga
- Philip Mutinga
- Richard Geria
- Allan Oyende
- Martins Mutahi
- Otieno Manase
- Bernard Koyyoko
- Kevin Musyoka
- Bernard Amuke