Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

What a weekend it was for Kenya 7s! After a year-long absence, their return to the World 7s Series has captured headlines worldwide.

Kenya secured their spot in the series with a decisive 32-15 win over Germany in a qualifier match in Madrid over the weekend. While this victory garnered significant attention, the wins for Shujaa’s promotion extend beyond this single match.

Kenya 7s’ new look

In August 2023, the Kenya Rugby Union revamped the technical bench for the Kenya 7s team, appointing Kevin Wambua as head coach, Louis Kisia as assistant coach, and Steve Sewe as team manager. Andrew Amonde joined the team as the conditioning coach.

Their mission was to bring Kenya 7s back to the global stage after their relegation in early 2023 and rebuild the team following the departure of many senior players.

Wambua introduced a refreshed squad featuring up-and-coming players like Nygel Amaitsa from Strathmore, Samuel Asati from KCB, Chrisant Ojwang from Nakuru, and Lameck Ambetsa and Brian Mutua from Kabras. The team retained co-captains Vincent Onyala and Tony Omondi, along with George Ooro, Herman Humwa, and Kelvin Wekesa.

Kenya 7s leaps

The young squad secured Olympic qualification by defeating continental heavyweights South Africa 17-12 in Zimbabwe in September. A dominant performance at the RFUEA saw Kenya’s firebrand Shujaa win the Safari 7s after beating Samurai. Despite finishing third in the Challenger Series and losing to Germany in the last leg in Munich, Kenya headed to Madrid for the finals.

Kenya’s qualification match against Germany set up a rematch of the clash in Munich, where Germany had previously upset Kenya. In the opening minute, Chris Umeh scored in the left corner, giving Germany an early lead. Shujaa responded quickly, with skipper Vincent Onyala scoring a try, which was converted to make the score 7-5.

Kenya faced a setback when Chrissant Ojwang was sent off for two minutes for a high tackle, allowing Germany to take a 12-7 lead. However, Ojwang redeemed himself after returning from the sin bin by scoring a try that tied the game at 12-12 at halftime.

A second-half try under the posts by John Okoth made all the difference, as Kenya held off a resilient Germany for the win and promotion. This victory is part of a long journey that cannot be summed up by one game. Kenya aims to make a strong impression on the world stage once again, both on the pitch and in the stands.