Eleven countries have confirmed participation ahead of the forthcoming Kwibuka T20 tournament slated in Kigali from June 9-18, just few days before the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of State Meeting (CHOGM) kicks off in the Rwandan capital. The countries that confirmed to take part in this year’s edition include defending champions Kenya, Uganda, Botswana, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, newcomers Brazil and Zimbabwe and host nation Rwanda. The number of participating countries for this year’s edition is more than double of the countries that participated in the tournament last year after some pulled out of the tournament last year due to Covid-19. According to the local Cricket governing body (RCA) chairman, Stephen Musaale, the fact that the tournament continues to attract more countries is a result of tremendous efforts the federation has been putting in the growth of the tournament. “It’s going to be a very nice but tight challenge this time round and seeing the tournament attracting more countries is an indication that it is growing edition after edition,” Musaale told Times Sport. Held annually since 2014, the Kwibuka Women’s T20 tournament is the flagship event of the women’s cricket calendar in Rwanda through which the cricket community contribute to the country’s healing process following the atrocities committed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. “The countries coming to participate at the tournament know the rationale behind it,” he said. “They will be able to visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial and have a glimpse of what the country went through during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi but also tour different magnificent places like the Kigali Arena and our very own Gahanga Cricket stadium among others to have an experience of how Rwanda is moving in the rebuilding process” The tournament will be played at two different cricket grounds including Gahanga International Cricket Stadium and IPR Kicukiro Cricket ground.
