Kenya Rugby Union chairman Alexander Mutai believes the future of the sport lies in the investment in the Kenya under-20 and Lionesses teams.
If facilitated, he said, the two can prepare well and perform at upcoming international tournaments.
“The union is doing everything it can for our various national teams, especially Chipu and Lionesses. To ensure they are funded and supported to match what our competitors and on the globe are doing,” noted Mutai.
“This will allow them to be competitive.”
The under-20 side, Chipu, finished second to Namibia at the April 20-29 Barthes Cup in Zimbabwe while the Lionesses are busy preparing for the Rugby Africa Cup on June 7-15 in Madagascar.
Mutai made the remarks as the KRU signed a Sh15m one-year sponsorship deal with national carrier Kenya Airways.
This will go to the Simbas as they prepare for a six-week high-performance training camp in South Africa and the Rugby World Cup qualifiers in Uganda from July 8-25.
The sponsorship will ease the team’s travel logistics.
“KQ has been with KRU in the past and we are glad to have you back. It’s an integral sponsorship having an airline as a partner as travel costs are largely reduced. As the Simbas begin their World Cup qualification journey, this is a big step up. We are very grateful,” said Mutai
Kenya Airways’ chief commercial and customer officer Julius Thairu, said: “We are back. On behalf of our CEO, we are happy and proud to be part of the Simbas’ journey as they seek a place in the World Cup. We not only focus on sponsorship but also on socioeconomic development. There is a lot of talent in Kenya, and as a brand, we would like to help nurture and showcase it. We are going to walk this journey together—this is just a start, and we are also looking forward to supporting the other national teams.”
Simbas captain George Nyambua, observed: “We want to say thank you (to Kenya Airways). This sponsorship will have a big impact on our qualification journey. We believe we are going to qualify and make you proud.”
