Kenya Rifle Regiment Club (KRRC) staged the Kenya Open Smallbore Championships on November 29 and 30 at the General Service Unit training school in Embakasi.

The championship was set to incorporate sharp shooters from Uganda and Tanzania but the visitors failed to show up due to short notice and logistics involving the clearance of the firearms.

KRRC’s Gurcharan Singh Roopra (25) won the Kenya Open Smallbore (.22 rifle) title.

Roopra claimed both of the two rounds, shooting 585 on Saturday and 583 on Sunday for a total 1168 for his maiden victory in the two-day championship.

Roopra, who was placed fifth last year, relegated international clubmates Gurupreet Singh Dhanjal and defending champion Gulraaj Sehmi to second and third places respectively.

Dhanjal, who is the country’s smallbore captain, returned 1,164 drawn from rounds of 583 and 581 to win Super X 1 as Sehmi claimed Super X2 on 1,141 with rounds of 565 and 576.

Dhanjal said the formation of a regional body will ease some of the challenges the sport faces.

“The logistical challenges experienced will be a thing of the past with the formation of a regional body in the next one year,” said Dhanjal. “Uganda and Tanzania can participate in the Mini Bisley and Kenya Open Bisley and other smallbore championships.”

Dhanjal said there is strong support and interest in Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda. “Most shooters can’t attend our events unofficially; a regional calendar of events will enable them to raise awareness in their respective countries and attract support from corporates,” he added.

The participation of Kenyan shooters at the 2011 and 2014 Africa Smallbore Championships in South Africa and Egypt respectively was an eye opener as the shooters interacted with others from Senegal, Namibia, South Africa and Egypt.

The 2014 competition was a qualifier for the Commonwealth Games that were held in July in Glasgow, Scotland.

“We held discussions in Egypt as well as Glasgow with our African counterparts, and we explored the need for regional bodies that will fast track the formation of competitions,” said Dhanjal.

Egypt and South Africa have had an edge over Kenya at the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics owing to their exposure at the World Championships. “But with Vayani now at the continental body, we should be able to get our shooters exposed,” said Dhanjal.

Kenya’s Shoaib Vayani is the vice president of the Africa Shooting Federation.

Biggest challenge

Dhanjal said the biggest challenge is lack of funds to purchase rifles and ammunition, as well as for the renovation and construction of shooting ranges.

“We are glad the Ministry of Sports has been supporting our programmes. We want to open the sport to schools and the underprivileged,” said Dhanjal, adding that the facilities at the Kenya Regiment Rifle Club are open to the public on Fridays.

“We expose those interested to club weaponry; the air pistol for starters. We have initiated programmes for schools where we are using the .177 pellets instead of the .22 ammunition, which is expensive,” said Dhanjal. “We are targeting youth aged between 10 and 18; some countries have 18-year-old champions.”

Ahmad Musawwir, who represented Uganda at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, said Kenya, especially Vayani, has been instrumental in the push to form regional association.

“The challenge is now for Uganda to get shooting backon track,” he said. “There is great potential with interest not only from the disciplined forces, but civilians too.

“We have been struggling to get firearms and we require more exposure at the international level. Local competitions don’t give a shooter enough exposure,” said Musawwir.

In Africa, only Kenya and South Africa have embraced fullbore shooting. “The advantage of fullbore is that most disciplined forces in the respective countries have access to a shooting range and can easily draw civilians to the sport,” said Kenya’s full-bore captain Wilberforce Kirema.

Locally, Kirema said, the implementation of the 2013 Sports Bill will hasten the diversification of fullbore and smallbore at the county level. Already, rifle clubs have been set up in Machakos and Laikipia. “We will expose more civilians, and especially youngsters, to the sport,” said Kirema.