- Kabras Sugar RFC were crowned the 2024/25 Kenya Cup Champions on Saturday, 12th April 2025, after edging Menengai Oilers 27-26 in the final.
- The 2024/25 Kenya Cup final was held at the ASK Kakamega Showground.
- Despite the monumental win, head coach Carlos Katywa was left a disheartened man.
Kabras Sugar RFC head coach Carlos Katywa was a visibly disheartened man despite his team clinching the Kenya Cup 2024/25 for an unprecedented fourth consecutive time.
Kabras delivered a commanding performance on Saturday afternoon, narrowly edging past Menengai Oilers with a 27-26 victory in a thrilling encounter held at the ASK Kakamega Showground.
Having previously secured the championship in the 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24 campaigns, Kabras etched their name into the annals of Kenyan rugby history by becoming one of the few clubs alongside Impala Saracens, reigning champions Nondies, and KCB to win the prestigious title four times in succession.
However, despite this significant achievement, Katywa, now in his third season with the club since joining in 2022—expressed mixed emotions.
While pleased with the outcome, he lamented his team’s failure to fully implement their game plan.
It was an incredible game to watch, and we really did the county proud. We did our sponsors proud. The boys tried, and they did well, but the only thing that saddens me is that we really did not execute everything that we promised to do. But a win is a win at the end of the day, and the players gave it their all,” Katywa told the media after the match.
Katywa addresses Kabras Sugar recurring mistakes
The South African tactician criticized his side for squandering key opportunities, highlighting recurring mistakes he has addressed throughout the season.
He urged his players not to underestimate their opponents, who are working relentlessly to close the gap.
One pointer—we should have sealed this game. There was a time when the bench didn’t come through, and they did not do us justice. But as much as it was expected—I mean, it was mostly the sevens guys—we made silly errors. These are the things we’ve been talking about the whole season. I think we are getting a bit ahead of ourselves and think we are better than the other teams, but they are catching up with us,” he added.
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Though grateful for the win, Katywa emphasized that the result did not reflect the dominance he had envisioned for the season finale.
He pointed out a noticeable dip in player discipline during the match, which he believes contributed to the underwhelming display.
“I will take the victory, and I’m happy for the boys. As the coach, personally, I’m slightly disappointed because this game should not have gone to the wire, and it should not have been this close.
There are a lot of issues about the discipline within our group. I’m happy and excited, but there is a lot that needs to be done. It might be the end of the season, but this is not the way we wanted to end it—we wanted to be on top of the world,” Katywa reiterated.
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