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Shujaa, Kenya’s national sevens rugby team, was Sunday relegated from the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series following its loss to Canada at Twickenham Stadium, London.
The defeat saw Kenya lose its status as a core team in international rugby’s elite sevens series for the first time in twenty years.
Some players know who to blame, the former management.
“They took away the game from the people who built it with blood, sacrifice, and love, and it’s now gone back to dust! One day you will learn that there’s a science around this. I was In the team that took Kenya to the core status same ground 19 years ago. It hurts Kenya Shujaa,” Former player, and Kenyan Lioness Rugby head coach Dennis Mwanja said on Twitter
The four-team relegation playoff — part of the HSBC London 7s, the 11th and final stop of the men’s season — was a product of the World Series reducing the number of men’s teams from 16 to 12 next season to align with the women’s competition and the Olympic field.
The Kenya Rugby Union said it would take “swift action and work diligently to restore Shujaa’s position in the World Rugby Sevens Series by 2024.”
“In the coming days, we will conduct a comprehensive review of the 2022 – 2023 season, and based on the findings and recommendations of this review, the board will make informed decisions and guide the next steps to realign the team and set it on a path to success,” KRU said.
The national sevens rugby team has been relegated from the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series following Sunday’s 12-7 playoff final loss to Canada at Twickenham Stadium, London.
1/ pic.twitter.com/cuUayIHlw4— Africana Voice (Formerly Hotseatnews) (@AfricanaVoice) May 22, 2023
Alexander Mutai, the KRU chairman, said it is “essential to consider the financial support required for the Morans, as they serve as the talent feeder system for Shujaa. To maintain Shujaa’s continuous competitiveness and tournament success, funding for the Morans and their participation in satellite tournaments is crucial.”
“With the unwavering support of our current and future partners, along with the continued backing of the Government of Kenya, we are confident that Shujaa will regain its position in the World Rugby Sevens Series for the 2024/25 season,” KRU added.
Kenyan fans, known for making merry at Shujaa Sevens games, especially in the US, and players are disappointed and expressed strong views on Twitter.
“This one of the saddest days in Kenya rugby history. Some of us were paid peanuts and expected to win trophies to a time when Kenya rugby players were paid well before of the people who came before them and pushed for player rights. We sit here trying to give all sorts of excuses but truth be told having jokers leading sports organisations and ministries got us here,” Lucas Onyango said on Twitter.
Former Kenya Rugby star Frank Hagono, blamed former Kenya Rugby Chairman Gangla Oduor for the relegation.
“May this haunt you for the rest of your life, @Oduorgangla! This is YOUR LEGACY, along with the power peddlers who urged you on,” Hagono said on Twitter.
Sports Journalist Shaddique Shaban also blamed Oduor.
“The elephant in the room! Kenyan Rugby Mess began here after compromised votes fed the monster to its constipation. It returned the favor by dropping the chewed cud on the national kits. Hold this man accountable for the hot mess at KRU and national teams,” Shaban said on Twitter, posting an article with a photo of Oduor.
Hagono did not mince his words.
“[Kenya] Rugby has been held captive and relegated to corrupt brokerage by individuals aligned to the ‘Ngong Road Mafia.’ The pliant ex-Chairman, Oduor Gangla, was a toy for the power peddlers, elevated by the 10 percent sponsorship kickback crew for their own gluttony. Gangla was left hanging dry and dazzled, and his sane corporate sense muddied by thirsty lot from Nondies (Tano), Impala (Ollows and Nduati) Harlequins, KCB (Makii), and the compromised sports admins from the universities.
Had Richard Omwela not played into the same hands after Mwangi Muthee stepped down, Kenya Rugby would not have been relegated,” Hagono, a former player for Kenya 15s team and Mwamba RFC, said.
Oduor could not be reached for comment.
The new management vowed to return Shujaa to its lost glory in a statement addressing the relegation posted on the KRU website.
“While the 2023 World Rugby Sevens Series has concluded, Shujaa will honor their pre-arranged commitments for the remainder of the year. They have been invited to the New York City Sevens tournament on 15th July 2023, alongside other top global rugby sevens teams,” Mutai said. “Over the next six weeks, we will work tirelessly to enhance Shujaa’s competitiveness, implementing the recommended remedial measures from the review.”
Former Kenya Sevens player jailed for six years
Former Kenya Sevens and Harlequins rugby player Alex Olaba was Wednesday sentenced to six years in prison for hatching a plot to kill a witness who was testifying in a rape case against him and former teammate Frank Wanyama.
Early this month, a magistrate court in Nairobi found Olaba guilty of attempting to kill a key witness in 2021.
“Although the accused person is remorseful, the offenses he faces are serious. l convict and sentence him to serve six years in count one of conspiracy to kill and two years imprisonment in the second account of interference with the judicial process,” Nairobi Court Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo ruled.
Former Kenya Sevens and Harlequins rugby player Alex Olaba has been sentenced to six years in prison for hatching a plot to kill a witness who was testifying in a rape case against him and former teammate Frank Wanyama. pic.twitter.com/ym5KGl4AWp
— Africana Voice (Formerly Hotseatnews) (@AfricanaVoice) May 24, 2023
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