The Kenya national rugby sevens team competes in the World Rugby Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games. Kenya recorded its first tournament win in the World Rugby Sevens Series after beating Fiji at the 2016 Singapore Sevens.[3]Kenya has also been successful in the Rugby World Cup Sevens, reaching the semifinals in 2009 and again in 2013.[citation needed]
| Union | Kenya Rugby Union | |
|---|---|---|
| Emblem(s) | The African lion | |
| Coach(es) | Kevin Wambua | |
| Captain(s) | Vincent Onyala | |
| Most caps | Collins Injera (79) | |
| Top scorer | Collins Injera (1,443)[1] | |
| Most tries | Collins Injera (279)[2] | |
| ||
| World Cup Sevens | ||
| Appearances | 6 (First in 2001) | |
| Best result | 3rd place (2009) | |
| Official website | ||
| www | ||
The Kenya Sevens team is sometimes referred to by the Kenyan and international press as Shujaa,[4] a Swahili word meaning courage, confidence, bravery, or heroism. The Kenya national rugby sevens team is one of the more successful sporting teams representing Kenya. They have won the men's Team of the Year category six times at the Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year Awards: 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009,[5][6] 2013, and 2016.
Kenya won the first round of the 2024 World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in Dubai.[7][8]
Honors
- Main Cup winners at the 2016 Singapore Sevens
- Main cup finalists at the
World Rugby Sevens Series
Kenya has competed in the World Series every year since the competition's inception in 1999–2000. Kenya's best season came in 2012–13 when they finished fifth in the Series. Collins Injera and Humphrey Kayange were both nominated for World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year in 2009, but lost to England's Ollie Phillips.
Tournament history
Summer Olympic Games
| Olympic Games History | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Pool stage |  Kenya 7 – 31  Great Britain | Loss |
| Pool stage | Kenya 5 – 28  New Zealand | Loss | |
| Pool stage | Kenya 7 – 31  Japan | Loss | |
| 9–12th place semifinal | Kenya 12 – 14  Spain | Loss | |
| Eleventh place playoff | Kenya 24 – 0  Brazil | Win | |
| 2020 | Pool stage | Kenya 14 – 19  United States | Loss |
| Pool stage | Kenya 5 – 14  South Africa | Loss | |
| Pool stage | Kenya 7 – 12  Ireland | Loss | |
| 9–12th place semifinal | Kenya 21 – 7 Japan | Win | |
| Ninth place playoff | Kenya 22 – 0 Ireland | Win | |
Rugby World Cup Sevens
| World Cup record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament | Round | Position | Played | Won | Lost | Drew | Most tries |
 1993 | Did not qualify | ||||||
 1997 | |||||||
 2001 | Bowl Semifinals | =19th | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | |
 2005 | Bowl Semifinals | =19th | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | Lucas Onyango (6) |
 2009 | Semifinals | =3rd | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | Collins Injera (5) |
 2013 | Semifinals | 4th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | Humphrey Kayange (6) |
| 2018 | Challenge quarterfinals | 16th | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | Jeffrey Oluoch (4) |
| 2022 | 11th Place Final | 12th | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | Vincent Onyala (4) |
| Total | 0 Titles | 6/8 | 34 | 13 | 21 | 0 | C. Injera & H. Kayange (9) |
Commonwealth Games
| Commonwealth record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | L | D |
 1998 | Bowl Quarterfinals | 13th | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
 2002 | Bowl Semifinals | 11th | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
 2006 | Bowl Champions | 9th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
 2010 | Plate Semifinals | 7th | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 | Plate Semifinals | 7th | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | Placement round | 8th | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 | Placement round | =7th | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 0 Titles | 7/7 | 35 | 15 | 20 | 0 |
Africa Men's Sevens
| Africa Men's Sevens record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | L | D |
 2000 | Finals | 2nd | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
 2004 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
 2008 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
 2012 | Did Not Compete | |||||
| 2013 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | Finals | 2nd | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 2015 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | Semifinals | 3rd | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
 2017 | Did Not Compete | |||||
| 2018 | Finals | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Semifinals | 3rd | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 6 Titles | 11/13 | 63 | 55 | 8 | 0 |
Safari Sevens
Kenya has won the Safari Sevens ten times:
- 1997 versus Cumbria Schoolboys 24–27,
- 2000 Kenya 'A' (Shujaa) won, defeating Bristol University RFC, 26–24
- 2003 versus Emerging Springboks 29–7,
- 2004 versus Emerging Springboks 10–7,
- 2008 versus Zimbabwe 35–12,
- 2009 versus Emerging Springboks 40–19,
- 2010 versus Emerging Springboks 17–12,
- 2014 versus Australia Renegades 40–7,
- 2016 versus Samurai International 38–21
- 2019 versus Springbok Sevens 19–12.
Players
Current squad
The following team was announced as the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens sevens team.[9][10]
Head coach: Damian McGrath
| No. | Player | Date of birth (age) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billy Odhiambo | 7 November 1993 (aged 28) |
| 2 | Jeff Oluoch | 2 April 1995 (aged 27) |
| 3 | Anthony Omondi | 26 March 1995 (aged 27) |
| 4 | Herman Humwa | 8 November 1995 (aged 26) |
| 5 | Nelson Oyoo (captain) | 26 June 1994 (aged 28) |
| 6 | Johnstone Olindi | 4 November 1999 (aged 22) |
| 7 | Edmund Anya | 15 June 1998 (aged 24) |
| 8 | Willy Ambaka | 14 May 1990 (aged 32) |
| 9 | Vincent Onyala | 10 December 1996 (aged 25) |
| 10 | Collins Injera | 18 October 1986 (aged 35) |
| 11 | Kevin Wekesa | 7 August 2000 (aged 22) |
| 12 | Samuel Oliech | 15 December 1993 (aged 28) |
Former squads
Head coach: Benjamin Ayimba
- Humphrey Kayange
- Allan Onyango
- Victor Oduor
- Ben Nyambu
- Wilson Opondo
- Lavin Asego
- Biko Adema
- Innocent Simiyu
- Collins Injera
- Sidney Ashioya
- Gibson Weru
- Horace Otieno
Coach: Mike Friday
- Horace Otieno
- Oscar Ouma Achieng
- Patrice Agunda
- Felix Ayange
- Eden Agero
- Humphrey Kayange
- Biko Adema
- Andrew Amonde (c)
- Michael Wanjala
- Lavin Asego
- Collins Injera
- Willy Ambaka
Coach: Innocent Simiyu
| Player | Position | Affiliation | Number | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai | Cape Town | Sydney | Hamilton | Las Vegas | Vancouver | Hong Kong | Singapore | London | Paris | |||
| Eden Agero | Forward | SportPesa Quins | 7 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | |
| Willy Ambaka | Forward | SportPesa Quins | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | |
| Andrew Amonde | Forward | KCB | – | – | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | |
| Oscar Ayodi | Back | Homeboyz | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| Herman Humwa | Back | SportPesa Quins | 4 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | 13 | 3 | |
| Collins Injera | Back | Mwamba | 11 | – | – | – | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | |
| Augustine Lugonzo | Back | Homeboyz | – | – | 13 | 4 | – | – | 13 | 4 | 4 | |
| Ian Minjire | Back | Impala Saracens | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 1 | – | |
| Samuel Ngethe | Back | – | 11 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 4 | – | – | 13 | ||
| Billy Odhiambo | Back | Strathmore University | – | – | – | – | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| Samuel Oliech | Back | Impala Saracens | 5 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | – | 10 | – | |
| Jeffery Oluoch | Forward | Homeboyz | 8 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |
| Dennis Ombachi | Forward | Nondescripts | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Erick Ombasa | Back | Oilers | – | – | – | 5 | 4 | 13 | – | – | 2 | |
| Oscar Ouma | Forward | Nakuru | – | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | – | |
| Arthur Owira | Back | KCB | – | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | |
| Nelson Oyoo | Forward | Nakuru | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | |
| Daniel Sikuta | Back | Kabras | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | – | |
| Brian Tanga | Forward | Kabras | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | – | – | – | – | 10 | |
| Frank Wanyama | Forward | SportPesa Quins | 3 | 6 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
Head coach: Innocent Simiyu
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Union / Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BK | Oscar Ayodi (c) | September 21, 1989 (aged 28) | Homeboyz |
| 2 | BK | Herman Humwa | November 8, 1995 (aged 22) | Kenya Harlequin |
| 3 | BK | Samuel Ng'ethe | May 15, 1995 (aged 23) | Oilers |
| 4 | FW | Brian Tanga | September 13, 1995 (aged 22) | Kabras Sugar |
| 5 | FW | Dennis Ombachi | December 14, 1994 (aged 23) | Nondescripts |
| 6 | FW | Jeffery Oluoch | April 2, 1995 (aged 23) | Homeboyz |
| 7 | BK | Eden Agero | September 17, 1990 (aged 27) | Kenya Harlequin |
| 8 | FW | Andrew Amonde | December 25, 1983 (aged 34) | KCB |
| 9 | FW | Nelson Oyoo | June 26, 1994 (aged 24) | Nakuru |
| 10 | BK | Samuel Oliech | December 15, 1993 (aged 24) | Impala Saracens |
| 11 | BK | Collins Injera | October 18, 1986 (aged 31) | Mwamba |
| 12 | FW | Willy Ambaka | May 14, 1990 (aged 28) | Kenya Harlequin |
Player records
The following refers to statistics generated in the World Rugby Sevens Series. Players in bold are still active.Collins Injera was briefly ranked the #1 player in the world in tries scored, until his try-scoring record was surpassed by England's Dan Norton.
| No. | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collins Injera | 1,443 |
| 2 | Lavin Asego | 1,026 |
| 3 | Humphrey Kayange | 799 |
| No. | Player | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collins Injera | 424 |
| 2 | Andrew Amonde | 358 |
| 3 | Humphrey Kayange | 331 |
Award winners
The following Kenya Sevens players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2004:[15]