The Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Women’s Premier League witnessed a string of victories for varsity teams, while their male counterparts faced mounting challenges in the Men’s Premier League, risking demotion to a lower tier. Matches played at Nyayo Gymnasium highlighted a clear disparity in fortunes between the genders.

In the Women's Premier League, Strathmore University Swords secured their 12th win of the season by defeating Safe Spaces 51-44. This victory keeps them firmly on track for a play-offs slot, demonstrating a strong season performance that notably includes a first-leg win against defending champions Equity Bank Hawks. The Swords established a commanding 32-20 lead by halftime, extending it to 45-29 by the end of the third quarter, which proved insurmountable for Safe Spaces despite their late surge in the final period.

United States International University of Africa (USIU-A) Flames also delivered a dominant performance, thrashing winless Storms 71-47. This win allowed the 2015 champions, and the only varsity side to have clinched the league title, to consolidate their position in the top five, reinforcing their strong contention for this season’s trophy. University of Nairobi (UoN) Dynamites similarly revitalized their play-off aspirations with a decisive 54-34 victory over Eldonets Ladies, ensuring they maintained eighth place in the standings.

Conversely, the going became significantly tougher for teams battling in the Men’s Premier League relegation zone. Strathmore Blades, USIU-A Tigers, UoN Terror, and National Bank of Kenya (NBK) Phoenix are all fighting to avoid demotion to the Men’s Division One League, with the bottom two teams set to drop.

Strathmore University Blades succumbed to former champions Ulinzi Warriors, losing 71-59. Despite a promising start where they won the first quarter 19-11, a poor second quarter allowed the Warriors to take a 33-32 halftime lead. Although the third quarter was closely contested, a defensive lapse in the fourth quarter saw the soldiers capitalize, scoring 25 points against Blades’ 13 to seal their 13th victory and push the students closer to relegation.

UoN Terror also suffered a significant setback, sliding to their 17th defeat after going down 83-93 against Stanbic Shields. Much like the Blades, Terror squandered a strong 21-15 first-quarter lead due to a dismal showing in the second and third quarters. Meanwhile, NBK Phoenix faced a similar fate, losing 71-80 to former champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in Mombasa, further complicating their survival bid in the top tier. The losses for these male teams underscore the fierce competition and the high stakes involved in avoiding the drop to the lower division.