Nairobi, Feb. 19 -- Each February, hotel rates in Nairobi firm up. International broadcast crews book production space. Charter flights arrive with players and technical teams. Caddies, hospitality staff, and temporary event workers secure short-term contracts. For four days, foreign spending flows into the city in concentrated form. Then it subsides.

Kenya has grown comfortable describing the Magical Kenya Open as a successful tournament. That framing understates what the tournament has become. Since joining the DP World Tour in 2019, the event has evolved into an export infrastructure. The debate still treats it as a sport. The economics suggest otherwise.

The 2026 edition, scheduled for February 19-22 at the Karen Country Club, carri...