Kenya: Why Shujaa Are Determined to Qualify for Division 1 of World Rugby Series

9 January 2026
Capital FM (Nairobi)
By Omondi Onyatta

National men's rugby 7s captain Samuel Asati says their ultimate objective in 2026 is to qualify for Division 1 of the World Rugby Series.

The KCB Rugby player says qualification to the highest tier of the annual tournament will enhance their chances of reaching the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

"Our journey to LA 2028 begins with going back to Division 1. If we go back to Division 1 and finish top four, we'll have an automatic ticket to LA 2028. With the scholarship coming in handy, it will boost our preparations as we continue with the preparations back to the Division 1," Asati said.

Shujaa dropped back into the second-tier (Division 2) of the prestigious competition after finishing ninth overall in the Division 1 final standings.

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With World Rugby restructuring the format of the competition, it meant that coach Kelvin 'Bling' Wambua's charges would be bidding bye to the high table of rugby 7s.

Thankfully, a 24-5 win over Canada in the final promotion play-off in Los Angeles cemented the team's place in Division 2 (formerly the Challenger Series).

Kenya is set to host the opening leg of Division 2 at the Nyayo Stadium, next month and Asati says they are training hard with the sole objective of winning the competition.

"The build-up towards the HSBC Division 2 is building quite well. We started doing Safari Sevens and we're travelling to South Africa for an intensive camp, playing some matches against the Blitz Bowl and some clubs in South Africa. That will help us as we start our preparations, as we gear on towards the Division 2," he said.

Amidst their preparation, the team received a timely boost with a scholarship of approximately Ksh 6.5 million (50,000 USD) from the International Olympics Committee (IOC) Solidarity programme.

The scholarship will aid Shujaa's preparations in terms of training programmes, international competition exposure, coaching support, and athlete welfare.

Read the original article on Capital FM.

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