Among Kenya’s most successful sporting sides is the national rugby sevens team, often known as ShujaaSwahili for fortitude, confidence, bravery, or heroism. Six times (2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, and 2016), they have won the Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year men’s Team of the Year award. Shuja’s best performance since joining the World Rugby Sevens Series in its first 1999-2000 season was in 2012-2013, ranking fifth. Stars Collins Injera and Humphrey Kayange were nominated for World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year in 2009.
At the Spain Sevens, Kenya made it to the SVNS promotion/relegation playoffs after winning the opening round of the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in Dubai and finishing runners-up overall. Having been demoted from the top tier in 2023 after a close 12-7 loss to Canada, Shujaa got revenge in 2025 with a 24-5 playoff final victory at Dignity Park. With Nygel Amaitsa adding one try, former captain Anthony Mboya scored twice in the first minutes. Two more tries from Vincent Onyala, supported by Kevin Wekesa, sealed a commanding victory. James Thiel was responsible for Canada’s sole attempt.
With the United States and Uruguay, this victory guaranteed Kenya’s position in SVNS Division II for the next season. Starting in 2026, the SVNS Series will have a three-tier configuration:
Division 1: Eight men’s teams and eight women’s teams compete in six top competitions.
Division 2: Six teams each for three events across both genders.
Division 3: An eight-team Challenger event for each gender qualifying from regional tournaments.
The top 12 men’s and women’s teams from Division 1 and four from Division 2 will gather for a SVNS World Championship Series at the end of the season to compete for the world championships. This hybrid approach gives equal representation, a clear way to move up in the world, and more than 13 events on a worldwide calendar.
