United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) emerged victorious in an inter-campus esports tournament organized as part of Carry1st’s Call of Duty: M Siku Zombo Tour, defeating university rivals to claim the championship and walk away with KSh100,000 in prize money.
USIU-Africa’s winning team comprised Leroy Barasa, known as Raging; Bryan Bernard, Jesse Kariuki, Ajewole Pelumi, and Miguel Koikai (Denarius).
Dedan Kimathi University of Technology finished second, followed by Multimedia University in third place and the University of Eldoret in fourth. Daystar University, Meru University of Science and Technology, Zetech University, and Chuka University also participated in the competition, showcasing the growing interest in competitive mobile gaming among university students.
Speaking after the victory, USIU-Africa team member Jesse Kariuki said: “Winning this tournament is a great feeling, especially because we were competing against some very strong university teams. We put in the work, trusted each other, and remained focused throughout the competition. This victory is a proud moment for us and shows the level of talent and competitive spirit within university esports in Kenya.”
The tournament formed part of Carry1st’s grassroots COD:M Siku Zombo Tour, a campaign that ran from October 17 to 25, 2026, combining online competition with physical community activations to connect gamers, creators and fans.
Under the campaign, players could follow online qualifiers, represent their universities, compete against fellow gamers, meet content creators and participate in creator-led oneon-one challenges. Nganya pop-up activations added a distinctly Kenyan cultural element to the experience, bringing gaming into familiar local entertainment spaces and creating opportunities for fans to interact with the COD: M community.
“Seeing the passion and energy of the Kenyan COD: M community throughout the Siku Zombo tour has been incredible. From the campus rivalries to the unique Nganya activations, the turnout shows that there’s indeed active local enthusiasm for what we do. Our goal is to keep backing the local scene, presenting more competitive opportunities, and supporting the Kenyan COD:M community until it reaches its full potential on both regional and global stages,” noted Adekoya ‘Andre’ Ayomide, Project Manager at Carry1st.
The tournament brought together university esports teams from across Kenya, with the competition culminating in the grand finals at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.
