Samuel Asati outlines vision for Kenya’s domestic rugby future

The question of how Kenya can develop a more competitive and commercially viable domestic rugby competition has resurfaced in local sports media, with Mozzart Sport Kenya reporting on Samuel Asati’s views on the country’s rugby landscape.

Kenya has long been recognised on the international stage for its sevens prowess. The national side, known as Shujaa, has been a fixture on the World Rugby Sevens Series circuit and reached the Rugby World Cup Sevens semi-finals on multiple occasions. The annual Safari Sevens tournament, hosted in Nairobi, has also drawn regional teams and helped raise the profile of the sport across East Africa.

The domestic challenge

Where Kenya has lagged behind is in the development of its 15-a-side domestic structure. The Kenya Cup, the country’s premier club competition, has historically been dominated by a handful of well-resourced sides, including Kabras Sugar, KCB, and Leopards. Critics have pointed to limited broadcasting deals, thin sponsorship pipelines, and a reliance on amateur or semi-professional players as obstacles to building a league that can sustain itself financially and competitively.

Countries with established rugby ecosystems — such as South Africa with the Currie Cup and the Vodacom URC, or England with the Premiership — have built their competitions on a combination of strong club traditions, broadcast revenues, and pathways that feed talent into professional ranks. According to Mozzart Sport Kenya, discussions about how Kenya might adopt elements of these models continue to attract attention from administrators, sponsors, and former players.

For any Kenyan rugby premier league to take root, observers note, it would likely need deeper corporate investment, stronger media partnerships, and a clearer pathway linking school and club rugby to the national team pipeline — a challenge that remains central to the broader conversation about the future of the sport in the country.

Sources

This report was written from coverage published by the following news organisations. Follow the links for the original reporting.

• Mozzart Sport Kenya — Samuel Asati reveals how Kenya can build its own Rugby Premier League