Kenya’s Gor Mahia handed hosts APR FC a humiliating 5-0 defeat in the opening match of the 2026 CECAFA Kagame Cup, delivering one of the heaviest losses in the Rwandan club’s history in the regional competition.
The Group A encounter at Amahoro Stadium officially kicked off this year’s tournament and was attended by President Paul Kagame, whose sponsorship has been synonymous with the competition since 2002.
APR entered the match with four new signings in the starting lineup, including goalkeeper Siluane Ernan Alberto, who made his competitive debut for the club alongside left-back Ishimwe Christian, midfielder Madou Zon and forward Amani Kuodiakan Michel Breygeneve.
After an evenly contested opening half-hour, Gor Mahia took control with two quick goals. Captain Mike Evans Kibwage opened the scoring in the 34th minute, heading home from a corner after APR failed to deal with the delivery.
Just a minute later, Ariste Patrick Ekandjoum Essombe doubled the visitors’ lead after capitalising on a defensive mistake to leave APR facing a daunting 2-0 halftime deficit.
APR attempted to mount a comeback after the restart, but Gor Mahia remained organised defensively and repeatedly exposed the hosts on the counterattack.
Paul Okoth Odhiambo made it 3-0 in the 73rd minute before Lesley Otieno Owino added a fourth six minutes later following another swift attacking move.
The scoring was completed in the 85th minute when Ebenezer Assifuah punished a goalkeeping error by Alberto to seal an emphatic 5-0 victory.
The result marks APR’s heaviest defeat in CECAFA Kagame Cup history, surpassing the club’s previous worst result—a 4-0 quarterfinal loss to Sudan’s Al Khartoum in the 2015 edition held in Dar es Salaam.
For Gor Mahia, the victory represented a strong response after the Kenyan champions were beaten 2-0 by Rayon Sports in the annual Rayon Day exhibition match in Kigali a week earlier.
Earlier on Friday, Uganda’s Vipers SC defeated Djibouti’s Garde Républicaine FC 3-0 in the tournament’s opening fixture.
The opening round leaves Gor Mahia top of Group A with three points and a five-goal advantage, ahead of Vipers SC, who also have three points. Garde Républicaine are third, while APR sit bottom of the standings without a point and with a goal difference of minus five.
APR will seek to revive their campaign against Garde Républicaine on July 27, while Gor Mahia face Vipers SC in a match likely to determine the group winner.
