The Kenya Lionesses got their 2026 Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens campaign off to a winning start after dispatching Ghana 25-7 at the RFUEA Grounds,Ngong’ Road in Nairobi.
Playing in front of their home fans, the Lionesses produced an impressive attacking display, combining pace, physicality and good ball movement to secure a comfortable victory and boost their hopes of reaching the Cup quarter-finals.
Kenya had a bye in the opening round following Egypt’s withdrawal from the competition, which left Pool B with only three teams. They eventually got their campaign underway against Ghana, who had already suffered a 21-0 defeat to Tunisia.
Freshia Oduor opened the scoring for the hosts, touching down for the first try of the contest to give Kenya an early advantage. However, Ghana responded quickly, using a well-executed kick-and-chase to get behind the Kenyan defensive line before grounding a converted try to take a 7-5 lead.
The Lionesses did not take long to regain control. Kenya employed a similar kicking strategy, with Sinaida Mokaya showing good awareness to collect the ball and cross the whitewash, restoring the hosts’ advantage at 10-7.
Janet Okello then showcased her blistering pace, beating several defenders and rounding her markers before grounding the ball to extend Kenya’s lead to 15-7 heading into the break.
The hosts continued to dominate possession and territory after the restart, putting Ghana under sustained defensive pressure.
Faith Livoi came close to adding another try after breaking through the Ghanaian defensive line with a powerful fend. However, her effort ended in a knock-on in the in-goal area after she failed to ground the ball cleanly.
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Kenya continued to apply pressure from the resulting scrum, forcing Ghana into a hurried clearance. Okello reacted quickest, gathered the loose ball and raced over for her second try of the afternoon to stretch the advantage to 20-7.
The Lionesses had the final say through substitute Catherine Elizabeth, who capped off a well-worked attacking move from a scrum by grounding the ball to complete the 25-7 victory.
The result gives Kenya an important boost ahead of their remaining Pool B fixture against Tunisia, with the Lionesses looking to secure a place in the Cup quarter-finals.
Elsewhere, Uganda and Madagascar booked their places in the last eight from Pool C after recording two victories each, while South Africa and Zambia also secured qualification from Pool A following back-to-back wins.
Uganda were particularly dominant, registering a 45-0 victory over Burkina Faso before thrashing Mauritius 49-0. Madagascar, meanwhile, defeated Mauritius 12-5 before recording a 36-12 win against Burkina Faso.
In Pool A, Zambia opened their campaign with a 36-5 victory over Zimbabwe before thrashing Rwanda 50-0. South Africa were equally ruthless, beginning with a 57-0 demolition of Rwanda before overcoming Zimbabwe 26-10.
The Lionesses will now turn their attention to Tunisia as they seek to maintain their winning momentum and progress to the knockout stages of the 2026 Africa Women’s Sevens tournament.
2026 Africa Women’s 7s Results
- Madagascar 12-5 Mauritius
- Uganda 45-0 Burkina Faso
- Tunisia 21-0 Ghana
- Zambia 36-5 Zimbabwe
- South Africa 57-0 Rwanda
- Madagascar 36-12 Burkina Faso
- Uganda 49-0 Mauritius
- Zambia 50-0 Rwanda
- South Africa 26-10 Zimbabwe
- Kenya 25-7 Ghana
- Mauritius 27-10 Burkina Faso
Upcoming Fixtures (EAT)
- 3:12 PM – Uganda vs Madagascar
- 3:56 PM – South Africa vs Zambia
- 4:18 PM – Zimbabwe vs Rwanda
- 4:40 PM – Kenya vs Tunisia