Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung'aro presents a trophy to the winner of the Governor Gideon Mung'aro Foundation Golf cup tournament 3rd edition Elite Amatures William Odek played at the Malindi Golf club in Malindi town on Sunday, December, 7, 2025 that had 53 participant. Mung'aro also received the Jamhuri Kenya Awards as the Governor of the year Tourism Transformation Award in Kenya 2025 in recognition of outstanding excellence and impact. By Ben Okweingoti. 
By Ben Okweingoti
Nyali Golf Club’s amateur sensation William Onyango Odek has been crowned the overall winner of this year’s Governor’s Cup Golf Tournament in Malindi, after clinching the top position in the Elite Amateur category.
The two-day tournament, which brought together over 53 professional and amateur golfers, has been hailed as a major boost to sports tourism at the Coast.
Speaking after his victory, Odek said he had not expected to win but maintained focus from the start.
“I came just to play this Governor’s Cup in Malindi a day before. My first round was good—I played level. I knew if I managed below plus four, I could win, and that is exactly what I did,” he said.
Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro, whose foundation launched the tournament three years ago to revive Malindi’s struggling tourism sector, was also feted with the Jamhuri Kenya Award – Governor of the Year (Tourism Transformation) for 2025.
The award recognizes his outstanding efforts in breathing new life into tourism across Kilifi and the wider Coast region.
Mung’aro said the recognition was proof that ongoing revival efforts were bearing fruit.
“This annual event, proudly sponsored through the Gideon Mung’aro Foundation, continues to bring together golfers, partners and supporters to promote sports tourism and position Kilifi as a premier sporting destination,” he said.
He further announced that next year’s tournament will be expanded into a four-day event, with the overall winner set to walk away with a KSh1 million prize.
The governor also urged owners of formerly iconic hotels to either reopen, sell, or lease them to new investors, noting that the current tourism boom had led to full bookings in Malindi.
“Malindi hotels are 100 percent booked. I tried looking for a room today and couldn’t find any. I appeal to owners of hotels like Coral Key, Eden Rock, Coconut Village, Malindi Beach and others that closed down to revive, sell, or lease them so our people can get jobs,” he said.
Tournament coordinator Herbert Mwachiro praised Mung’aro as a strong champion of sports tourism, crediting him for launching the Governor’s Cup to spur economic growth through sports.
“This event featured both professional and amateur players with prize money from the governor. We are proud that his innovation in tourism is being recognized locally and globally,” he said.
Kilifi County Executive Committee Member for Trade, Tourism, Culture, Heritage and Cooperative Development, Raymond Ngalla, said the tournament was gaining significant traction, with plans underway to attract golfers from across Kenya, East Africa, and beyond.
He noted that the tournament’s expansion marked a major step toward cementing Malindi and the wider Kilifi region as a global sporting destination.
