Here are some trial plots of different types of Kikuyu grass in winter. Note the colour difference between them.
In the photo you'll see Kenda Kikuyu, another Kikuyu variety and Common Kikuyu.

The Kenda Kikuyu to me looks the greenest with the least amount of patches, have a look for yourself. What do you think?

Common Kikuyu was the worst and the other variety was in the middle with Kenda the greenest. If you are wondering what the best winter colour Kikuyu is, have a look at the photo below.

I guess Kikuyu has its place, but I would not plant it near gardens, as it invades too fast. I guess that's why Kikuyu is so popular on council fields because it grows so fast, and handles the wear. It also works well for people with a dog in the back yard.

How fast does Kenda grow?

That's true grasstree, it does invade gardens fast but is great for high wear areas.

Kenda has similar upward growth to other types of Kikuyu but its horizontal growth is accelerated and its underground growth is much deeper which means the same amount of mowing, but a much greater wear tolerance. It also survives drought better because of the deep underground growth.