Year-in-Review: Kenya's rugby in 2025 - progress on the pitch, pressure off it

Across the Kenya Cup, Enterprise Cup, and the national sevens circuit, clubs pushed boundaries, new talent emerged, and structural questions once again surfaced about sustainability, investment, and leadership.

Citizen Digital embarked on an in-depth end-of-year review, speaking exclusively to key stakeholders to examine Kenya’s rugby season in 2025.

The 2025/2026 Kenya Cup season began in November and is currently in its early stages, with defending champions Kabras Sugar setting the early pace before the Christmas break. The previous season ended in April with Kabras securing a fourth straight title after a narrow win over Menengai Oilers.

The league is now in a mid-season transfer window, while in the Eric Shirley Shield, KCB Rugby II and Menengai Oilers II have emerged as early conference leaders.

Behind the champions, Menengai Oilers continued to establish themselves as genuine contenders. Assistant Head Coach and ex-Kenya International Lawi Buyachi, speaking exclusively to Citizen Digital, described 2025 as a step forward despite falling short of silverware.

“For us, I think it has been a success. We reached the finals of the Enterprise Cup and the Kenya Cup and won the ESS,” Buyachi said, adding that the disappointment proved valuable. “It was a learning curve for us, and it prompted us to plan better than the previous year.”

Buyachi highlighted growth beyond results, particularly in squad development and sevens performance. Menengai finished third on the 2025 national sevens circuit, an improvement from fourth the previous season.

“The biggest thing for us was giving young kids a chance to prove themselves, get experience, and grow. Bringing in fresh blood worked for us,” he noted.

KCB, meanwhile, experienced a season of promise and rebuilding. The bankers reached six finals on the sevens circuit and also ended up winning the overall title, showcasing consistency, but have yet to translate that form into Kenya Cup dominance fully.

Interim head coach Andrew Amonde described the year as one of stability and transition.

“The boys are working very hard to keep the team stable. This is the time that we’ve come of age to express ourselves,” he said.

With the Kenya Cup and Enterprise Cup resuming in January, Amonde believes KCB are well placed to mount a title push.

“We’ve done ourselves well. We have the opportunity to change everything and make it a successful season. We’re focusing on one game at a time and collecting maximum points,” he said, pointing to improved squad depth through youth integration.

According to Kenya Rugby Union CEO Thomas Odundo, the local sevens circuit showed clear progress. “The 2025 Sevens Circuit was a big success. With our sponsors' support, we streamed all six Division One legs live, which was an improvement from last year,” he said. Women’s rugby also enjoyed growth, with four circuit legs staged for the first time.

Participation levels reflected the appetite. “We had almost 80 teams wanting to play across Division One and Two. It ended up being a very competitive circuit,” Odundo said.

Yet concerns around competitive balance persist, particularly in the Kenya Cup, where resource gaps between clubs remain stark.

 “Some teams can spend more resources on training and preparation. As organisers, there’s not much we can do except encourage corporates to support other teams to level the playing field,” Odundo admitted, noting that sevens competition is more balanced due to its physical demands.

Off the field, 2025 was defined by governance challenges following the resignation of KRU chairman Sasha Mutai. Odundo described the period between March and May as difficult but resolved.

“The leadership is now working together very well. We also have a strong secretariat that keeps operations going even when challenges arise,” he said.

As the year closes, Kenyan rugby finds itself at a crossroads. The talent is evident, the competitions are improving, and clubs continue to invest in youth. But as highlighted throughout 2025, safeguarding progress, fixing structural gaps, and strengthening governance remain the unfinished business of the game.