Menengai Oilers, Kabras Sugar battle it out for the SOYA Men’s Team of the Year Award
By edwin-otieno, January 11, 2023
Menengai Oilers Rugby Club, Butali Sugar hockey team, National Cereals and Produce Board handball team, Team Kenya 4x100m quartet, Commonwealth Games 4x400m team, Kabras Sugar Rugby Club, national 15s team, Kenya Simbas and the national under-20 team, Chipu have been nominated for the SOYA Men’s Team of the Year Award.
Kabras Sugar Rugby Club, who retained both Kenya Cup rugby league and Enterprise Cup will battle it out with Africa Senior Athletics 4x100m men’s team among others for the 2022 SOYA Men’s Team of the Year award.
The winning team will be announced at the 19th edition of the Sports Personality of the Year (SOYA) gala on January 20th 2023 that will be held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
The gala returns to Nairobi after a county edition in Mombasa County in 2018 and 2019, Naivasha in Nakuru County in 2020 and Kakamega County in 2021 enjoying some support boost from the Communications Authority, NSSF, Safaricom, Lotto Foundation and Kenya Pipeline,
Menengai Oilers Rugby team for the first time in history, won the National Sevens Series title after accumulating 113 points. The Oilers won Prinsloo Sevens after edging out Strathmore Leos 12-7 besides finishing second at Dala, Driftwood and Kakamega Sevens.
It was also the first time the Oilers reached the Kenya Cup final when they stunned defending champions KCB 24-17 in the semi-finals before losing to Kabras Sugar 34-28 in the final.
Kabras Sugar Rugby Club clinched its second Kenya Cup victory, beating Menengai Oilers 34-28 in the final on March 12th in Kakamega. They topped Kenya Cup regular season with 50 points drawn from 10 wins and one loss to set up Strathmore Leos whom they dismissed 29-9 in the semi-finals in Kakamega to set up Menengai Oilers.
Kabras Sugar enjoyed sweet success when they defend their Enterprise Cup title, edging out KCB Rugby 9-6 at the RFUEA ground on April 19th 2022.
The Africa 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala anchored 4x100m “Team Imeta” to a historic 4x100m victory at the Africa Senior Athletics Championships on June 10th at Cote d’or National Sports Complex, Mauritius.
Omanyala took over the baton from Samuel Imeta after a good exchange from Dan Kiviasi and Dennis Otieno before cruising home in 39.28 victory. It was the first time Kenya won gold in 4×100 at the continental event.
The team beat Akani Simbine’s defending champions South Africa to second place in 39.79 as Zimbabwe claimed bronze in 39.81.
Omanyala, who had just won the men’s 100m title, anchored the 4x100m team to second place in heat two to qualify for the final at Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on August 6th. Omanyala, Samuel Imeta, Mike Mokamba and Hesbon Ochieng clocked a National Record of 38.92 seconds to finish behind Nigeria in 38.85 seconds. However, a mishap in baton handling saw the team fail to finish their race in the final.
Chipu settled for bronze in the 2022 Rugby Africa Barthes Trophy at Nyayo National Stadium on April 17th. Coach Curtis Olago’s juniors walloped Madagascar 49-15 in an entertaining third place playoff match.