Simwa Brothers: If You Play Good Golf, You Can Never Sleep Hungry

_{Vet Lab sports Club pro Nelson Simwa tee-off at the Sunshine Development Tour Q-School held at the Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort in Naivasha on March 31-April 3, 2025. PHOTO/ SUNSHINE TOUR}

NAIVASHA, Kenya- If you play some good golf on the course, there is no way you can go to sleep hungry. These are the words of the Simwa brothers, Nelson and Boniface whose entire lives have been revolutionized by the gentleman’s game.

The duo, who are living, eating and drinking golf, embraced the sport three decades ago while staying with their parents at the historic Eldoret Club servant quarters.

“Every morning when we woke up, we would see people battling on the golf course. People were playing the game in the morning, at midday, in the evening and were even playing late at night,” Nelson told Standard Sports.

“We were surrounded by golf. We had no other alternative but to embrace the sport. This was the only game that was around us 24/7,” Nelson recalls.

After honing their skills at the Eldoret Club as ball boys, then caddies and eventually players, the duo took a bold step to look for greener pastures in the sport in Nairobi where they landed at the Vet Lab Sports Club in Kabete, a venue where they all later turned pros.

At Vet Lab, they sharpened their claws well, leading them to compete in high profile championships like the Magical Kenya Open (MKO), the Savannah Classics and the defunct Safari Tour series which gave them lots of prominence.

Nelson,36, reiterates that playing alongside and against his older brother Boniface, 41, has never affected their tight bonds as siblings.

“Instead, these cutthroat contests have only motivated us in the sport. They have inspired us to take our career to the next level,” underlined Nelson who joined golf in 1997.

“We use important tournaments like the MKO and Safari Tour to compare notes and increase our chances of either qualifying to the next stage or beating the projected cuts in the championships we were contesting,” he explained.

“Also playing alongside my brother increased our popularity, especially back in the village where other family members are also striving to play golf,” Nelson stated.

Apart from rivaling each other on the course, the siblings also take part in family tournaments where they pair each other with their cousins, the Mudanyis (Nelson and Edwin), who are also forces to reckon with in the sport.

“During the family competition, the older ones battle each other and the younger ones do the same on their side. So, I always take on Edwin as my brother Boniface fights Nelson. The family contests have helped us to strengthen bonds with our extended blood relatives,” Nelson underlined.

And how has golf changed their family fortunes?

“My elder brother Boniface is currently employed by Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa in Uganda where he has been a resident pro since 2020.

“Personally, I live, eat, sleep golf. Also, through the game’s proceeds, we have been able to take care of our old parents back at home.

” All the travels I have ever made, in and out of the country have been courtesy of the gentleman’s game,” Nelson highlighted.

Recently, Nelson and Edwin took part in the first ever Sunshine Development Tour Qualifying School held at the Great Rift Valley Lodge and Golf Resort in Naivasha where they both qualified for the Sunshine Development Tour- East Africa Swing Series whose 10-15 legs will be unveiled soon.

During the occasion, Edwin also had a chance to finish in the top ten, getting an opportunity to represent the East Africa region at the Sunshine Tour Final Qualifying School in Johannesburg South Africa where 219 participants from across the globe battled for the available 20 tickets for the Sunshine Tour series.

Some notable siblings in the Kenyan golfing fraternity 

1.Njoroge Kibugu (Windsor)/ Mutahi Kibugu (Muthaiga)

2.Hesbon Kutwa (Royal)/ Robinson Owiti (Vet Lab)

3.C.J Wangai (Sigona)/Samuel Njoroge (Railway)/ Richard Muthokia (Railway)/ Joseph Chege (Njoro- their father)

4.Nelson Simwa (Vet Lab)/ Boniface Simwa (Uganda Serena)/ Sullivan Muthugia (Thika- cousin)

5.Jeff Kubwa (Royal)/ Reuben Kubwa (Vet Lab) Isaac Makokha (Deaflympian)/Charles Makokha (Eldoret Club)

6.Edwin Mudanyi (Karen)/Nelson Mudanyi (Muthaiga)

7. Jacob Okello (Golf Park)/ Ben Okello (Kenya Railway-father)