The Kenya men’s rugby 7s team, Shujaa, will travel to South Africa for a week-long high-performance training ahead of their participation in the 2026 HSBC SVNS 2 campaign kicking off in February.
In the camp that will take place from 12-18 January, head coach Kevin Wambua has named 18 players who are expected to consistently feature for the team that will be seeking to gain promotion to the top tier SVNS Series at the end of the season.
The squad includes regulars Patrick Odongo, who finished the 2025 season as the team’s top try scorer, Vincent Onyala, Kevin Wekesa as well as Samuel Asati and George ‘Japolo’ Ooro who were the co-captains in 2025.
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Strathmore Leos winger Victor Mola has also been selected after impressing in the 2025 SportPesa National Sevens Circuit.
Highly rated youngsters Jackson Siketi and Eugene Ojiambo also makes the cut.
“The high-performance camp forms a critical phase in Shujaa’s build-up to the HSBC SVNS 2, with a particular focus on the first leg of the series, which will be hosted on home soil in Nairobi, Kenya from 14th to 15th February 2026.
Training in South Africa will provide the squad with access to elite facilities, high-level competition environments, and structured performance sessions,” KRU posted on their website.
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Kenya 7s name 18 players for high performance training in South Africa
Speaking ahead of the team’s departure, KRU Director of Rugby Paul Odera reiterated that the camp is part of a broader high-performance pathway aimed at ensuring Shujaa are competitively ready for the demanding Division 2 series.
The return from South Africa will be followed by a final phase of local preparations as Shujaa fine-tune combinations and finalize selections ahead of the Nairobi tournament.
The team will have a rare opportunity of playing in front of their home fans as Nairobi will stage the first outing of the SVNS Division 2.
The tournament, which will be held in Kenya for the first time, will take place on 14 to 15 February and will be staged at the Nyayo National Stadium.
After Nairobi, the second outing will be held in Montevideo, Uruguay on 21-22 March before the final outing takes place in Sao Paulo, Brazil from 28-29 March.
Who will be competing in SVNS Division 2?
The SVNS Division 2 will feature six teams per gender competing across three events. The top four teams will then get promoted to the SVNS World Championship where they will meet the top 8 teams from the SVNS Division 1 in the last three outings of the season in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux.
From the 12 sides, teams that finish inside the top 8 will get Division 1 tickets for the 2027 SVNS campaign.
Both the Kenya men’s and women’s national rugby 7s sides, Shujaa and Lionesses respectively, will be participating in the SVNS Division 2 in 2026.
Confirmed men’s teams for Division 2 in 2026
Division 2 – Kenya, USA, Uruguay, Germany
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Kenya 7s Travelling squad to South Africa
- Floyd Wabwire
- Patrick Odongo
- George Ooro
- Gabriel Ayimba
- Vincent Onyala
- Nygel Amaitsa
- Victor Mola
- Elvis Olukusi
- John Okoth
- Kevin Wekesa
- Samuel Asati
- Chrisant Ojwang
- Eugene Ojiambo
- Jackson Siketi
- Clinton Amukwachi
- Daniel Kipchirchir
- Festus Shiasi
- Denis Abukuse
Management
- Kevin Wambua – Head coach
- Louis Kisia – Assistant coach
- Andrew Amonde – Strength & Conditioning coach
- Lamech Bogonko – Physiotherapy
- Eric Ogweno – Team Manager
- Morgan Ngumbi – Assistant Team Manager
- Paul Odera – Director of Rugby