Irked Mutai backs Shujaa to bounce back

Mutai says he will spearhead efforts to help Kenya return to the global extravaganza, a platform they have participated in for over two decades.  

"Of course, we are pretty disappointed as a union, but we are hopeful of what we want to build from this year to next year. 

"We were invited to the New York City Sevens in July 2023, so we need to be competitive by then. We will play New Zealand, Great Britain, Fiji, South Africa, and Australia, which will be a test of what we are made of," said Mutai.

Among the plans in the tunnel, the new KRU head has put in place plans aimed at redeeming the team, including participation in the 2026 Olympic Games qualifiers in Zimbabwe in October this year, with the team also targeting a berth in the 2024 Paris Games.

"We have the Olympic qualifiers in September in Zimbabwe and intend to win that.

"South Africa's Blitzboks' will be there, which means it's harder for us, but by that time, we will have restructured and gotten the team to compete, and we want to get to the Olympics. 

"So that will be our first taste, and in October, we have the Safari Sevens, which we also plan to win. From now on, we are not playing around," he added.

In the past decade, Kenya has witnessed its much-cherished rugby culture crumble due to poor player transition, a lack of resources, and a high turnover of coaches, making the team find itself where it is now.

Kenya's way back to the World Seven Series will include playing in the Africa Cup Sevens in Zimbabwe in October, where finishing in the top three positions will guarantee an invitation to the Dubai and Cape Town tournaments in December and Hong Kong in March next year.

Then Shujaa will play in the Challenger Series in April, where they are supposed to win it to get back to the World Seven Series proper.