Kirpal Singh Bahra was born in Nakuru, Kenya on 18th July 1937. His parents had emigrated from India to Kenya in 1921.
After his primary school education at Government Primary School in Nakuru, the family moved to Nairobi at the end of 1947. He studied at Technical High School in Nairobi where he played hockey for his school team.
He played for Railway Club Nairobi. He joined Shell in 1958 and played for the Shell Hockey Section in the local league.
His work took him to Uganda in 1966 and he played for Ramgarhia Sikh Sports Club Kampala until 1974.
He was appointed as Uganda's Assistant Team Manager for the East African Championships held in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania in 1973.
He was appointed to umpire his first international match, Zambia v Kenya on 4th August 1968 during the East African Championship (Rahim Jivraj Trophy) in Kampala, Uganda. From then he umpired regularly at the Annual East African Championships until 1984.
In 1974 he was posted to Zambia and he played for Sikh Union Lusaka.
He was awarded his FIH International Umpire Badge on 22nd March 1974 (FIH registration No 507).
He immigrated to the UK in 1985 and resided in Bushey, Hertfordshire.
He died on 22 December 2022 in Watford, Hertfordshire, aged 85.