Kenya Sevens Coach on Why Returning Brian Tanga is Key to Promotion Quest as Shujaa Receive Massive Bonus

Kenya Sevens coach Kevin Wambua is thrilled to have Brian Tanga in his squad as he feels the Kabras Sugar RFC scrum-half will give his team a different dynamic.

Tanga, who replaces Chrisant Ojwang, who is ruled out with a hamstring injury, is the only change made to the Shujaa squad set to feature in the HSBC World Championship opener in Hong Kong from April 17-19.

The returning star also adds experience to the squad as he has been part of the national team setup since the 2016 Hong Kong 7s, coming in at a crucial time when Kenya is looking to seal a place back in the top flight next season.

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"He brings a lot of experience to the side and is the kind of player you want in tight games. His understanding of the game is top-notch and we expect him to add immeasurable impact to the team,” Wambua said of Tanga.

Reigning National Sevens Circuit champions KCB RFC provide the bulk of the squad with six players including co-captains George ‘Japolo’ Ooro and Samuel Asati, alongside Vincent Onyala, Festus Shiasi, Floyd Wabwire and David Nyangige.

Kabras Sugar, meanwhile, contribute Tanga and Kevin Wekesa while Menengai Oilers’ Denis Abukuse and John Okoth, Nigel Amaitsa (Strathmore Leos), Gabriel Ayimba, son of legendary Shujaa player and coach Benjamin Ayimba and speedster Patrick Odongo (Daystar Falcons) completing the squad.

“We all know what’s at stake and we will have to raise our game. Focus is on the opener against Australia where we need a great performance to give us a strong foundation towards securing a top 8 finish which is our bare minimum,” said co-captain Asati.

In Hong Kong, Shujaa have been drawn in a tough group that has Australia, New Zealand, and USA at the newly-built Kai Tak Sports Stadium.

After finishing second in the second tier HSBC SVNS2, Shujaa made it to the World Championship, a three-leg tournament set to be played in Hong Kong (April 17-19), Valladolid, Spain (May 29-31) and Bordeaux, France (June 5-7).

Kenya must finish inside the top eight of the 12 World Championship teams across the three legs to earn promotion back to HSBC SVNS 1 for 2027.

Shujaa have extra motivation to do well after their sponsors SportPesa, who committed Ksh40 million to them this season, handed the team a bonus of Ksh3.15 million on Friday unlocked through performances across Nairobi, Montevideo, and Sao Paulo.