Breaking the colour-bar through rugby

By Edwin Nyairo

ELDORET, KENYA: The first rugby match in Kenya was played in Eldoret in 1909 between the British and Afrikaaner settlers.
Since Kenya attained independence in 1963, the rugby scene has been dominated by clubs such as Harlequins, Nondies, Impala, Mwamba and Mean Machine, Mombasa RFC and West Kenya Oribis, a team that consisted of white farmers from the Eldoret and Kitale regions.
From the 1960s up until the 1970s, rugby was mainly played by white Kenyans and expatriates. The first black players were introduced in the early 1970s straight from the former colonial schools such as Duke of York School (later Lenana School), Prince of Wales School (later Nairobi School) and Rift Valley Academy (RVA).

These schools had started receiving a huge influx of African students in the mid 1960s. One such student was Bill Okwirry, the first black African student to join the Duke of York School in 1963.  He played rugby at school, then went on to play for Impala Club from the late 1960s well into the 1970s.
Other first generation African rugby players who learned the game in these schools included the Mwangi-Kioi brothers, Joe and Frank; F. Obura, Boaz Asirigwa, Frank Ojiambo, Kimani Waruhiu (all from Duke of York School); Ted Kabetu, George Kariuki, Chris Onsotti (all from the Prince of Wales School) and Dave Mshila from RVA.
Life was not easy for this group of pioneering African students, especially at the Duke of York and Prince of Wales schools. Adverse race relations were still prevalent, with the majority white students dominating both school life and the sports fields.
When Bill Okwirry joined the Duke of York School in 1963 as the first African student, he encountered a lot of bullying but excelled in rugby and eventually was able to protect himself from the bullies, thanks to his body size.
The first generation of black African rugby players turned up for teams such as Harlequins, Impala and Nondies, in the early 1970s. And then in 1974, they formed a representative side and boldly named it Miro Rugby Football Club. Amongst the urban elite, Miro, was the slang term for a black African.
Triumph of Miro RFC
The second generation of black African students who left school in the 1970s to join the senior rugby clubs included John Muhato, Emman Akatsa, John Akatsa, Nick Kado, Tom Oketch, Dennis Awori, Jimmy Owino, the dynamic Omaido brothers from Kitale - Jacko and Walter, - Dave Awimbo, Max Mogere, Coutts and Roger Otolo, Stan Ramogo, Arthur Kibisu and Cliff Mukulu, Beth Omolo, “Bimbo” Mutere, Chief Edebe, J B Nyamwange, Richard Njoba, Emmanuel Lubembe, Ben Mukuria, Bubs Muimi, Frank Ngaruiya, Job Owino, J J Masiga, Fred Oduor, Patrick “Pare” Mukora, Clint Oguya, Evans Vitisia, Tank Otieno, Max Muniafu and Dan Kimoro.
This group played a big part in making the game multi-racial, with a number of them spear-heading the creation of new, mostly African, clubs such as Mwamba RFC, the University of Nairobi’s Mean Machine and Blak Blad, the Kenyatta University College side.
In keeping with the strong tradition of school rugby providing a rich source of talented young players, the 1977 Lenana XV school team made history. They beat a host of club sides to become the first and only school team ever to win the Eric Shirley Shield Cup.
In the final, Lenana was up against West Kenya Oribis. Along with a core of experienced mzungu farmers in Oribis were the Omaido brothers, both of them ex-Lenana players and stunning members of the Kenya XV. The final score was 15-3 and it was the 16-year-old schoolboy Patrick ‘Pare’ Mukora who shone the brightest, kicking over all the 15 points. The team was captained by Job Owino and featured Willy Ang’awa, Nick Ng’ang’a, Clint Oguya, Eric Ayodo, Kris Ganase, Obadi Oluoch, Ken Thairu, Frank Mwenesi, Jim Owino, Arthur “Loko” Munyasa, Patrick “Pare” Mukora, Nazim Hajee, Dan Shiyukah, John Wanjuki, Ken Sagala, Dave Davis, Tony Githuku, Dick Mogere, Jimmy Muchiri and Dave Ellis
Throughout the 1970s, the team to beat was always Nondies based at Parklands Sports Club. Until the 1980s, Nondies was predominantly a white Kenyan side featuring exceptional rugby players such as the Evans brothers - Peter, Rod, Mike, Dave, Bruce and Clive. Others were Mark Riley, Andy Price and Johnny Yakas. In 1979, we witnessed one of the biggest shocks in Kenya rugby. The visiting English rugby 1st division topside, Blackheath RFC, was touring Kenya. They overcame a strong Kenya XV side, drew with Scorpions and eventually met a supposedly weak Miro RFC side. But in a thrilling and exciting midweek match, Miro hammered Blackheath 32-19. It was a local victory watched by a very small faithful crowd as most of Kenya’s rugby enthusiasts had stayed home expecting an easy win for Blackheath.
The 1980s witnessed some of the most exciting brand of running rugby in which speed overcame burly tackling. Key amongst the younger players of this generation were Sam Agutu, Pat Odanga, Pete Belsoi, Zack Oloo, T’Challa Raposo, Kalambo Kaisi, Bobby Macharia, Pritt Nyandatt, Elijah Mureithi, Martin Mwituria, Dan ‘Scooby’ Mugo, John Gichinga and Andy Mwenesi.
There were exciting competitions such as the Kenya Cup league, the Enterprise Cup, the Blackrock festival over the Easter weekend, the sevens tournaments, the RFUEA and Christies cups.
The sevens tournaments in particular brought loads of fun and excitement. There was always the image of the amiable mzungu John Velzian, coach, enthusiast and freelance team doctor and physiotherapist for all teams in the league.
And then there was the Losers Crate. This was a side competition in the seven-a-side tournaments such as the Christies Sevens. The eventual winner of the overall competition would win a gleaming trophy while the early losers were moved into a subordinate side pool that eventually produced a winner. The Losers Crate competition always provided rugby fans with a series of hard fought, exciting rugby as the players were all obsessed with winning. Not the gleaming trophy but, the Losers Crate of free beer!
kers XV and Kenya XV tours of Zambia and Zimbabwe in 1981, 1984 and 1989. During the 1984 tour, Arthur Kibisu, the big marauding scrum player, was also quite the entertainer and song-master. Together with Fred Oduor, Kibisu composed a whole repertoire for the tour and had the whole squad singing rugby songs all the way through to southern Africa.
Enter Edward Rombo and the Third Generation
By the early 1980s, rugby was still a preserve of those few former colonial schools. The new entrant was Alliance High School. These teams belonged to the elite Prescott cup which eventually produced the third generation of excellent exciting young players such as Nesbitt Wesonga, Tim Githugu, Patrick Wakhu, James Otieno, Fred “Nigga” Odhiambo, Kyalo Kavila, Manuel Okoth, Frank Sabwa, Tom Atak, Jim Ayoki, Andy Kimwele, Jeff Koinange, Richard Mwariga, Ken Kanyi and arguably one of Kenya’s most exciting rugby players ever, Edward Rombo.
Rombo from Nairobi School had started terrorising opposing teams from as early as Form Three when he was picked to play for his school’s 1st XV. He went on to double up as a top-flight club player for Barclays RFC while he was still a student. By the time he joined the University of Nairobi side Mean Machine after high school, he had already established himself as the best player in the Kenya 1st XV and sevens sides.
During his early school playing days, Rombo turned out for club side Barclays during school holidays and sometimes during the school term. This did not sit well with his father and he ordered his son to be removed from the team.
A few years later, Rombo became the first Kenyan to play professional rugby in England for the top league side Leeds. He also made his father proud by studying law while playing rugby in the UK, and he eventually graduated as a lawyer.
Expanding the field
From the late 1980s to the 1990s, there was a push to introduce the game to other schools and spread the game nationwide. A new second level school league, the Damu Pevu shield, was formed. This league included up-country schools such as Njoro Boys, Musingu, Nakuru High, Waa secondary and Shimo La Tewa.
The fourth generation of players was shaping up with names from Lenana, Nairobi School, St Mary’s Nairobi and Alliance mostly featuring. They included Eric Kibe, Martin Ndeda, Gordon Anampiu, Sammy Khakhame, JC Wakhu, John Ohaga, Stephen Kimwele, Joseph Muganda, Duncan “Yakas” Kioni, George Adul, Henry Miheso, Oliver Khabure, John Kiwinda, Tito Okuku, Solomon Munyua, Tolbert Onyango, Sidney Obonyo and Fred Ollows.
In the last decade, rugby has spread broadly within the schools circuit.  Schools such as Mang’u, Maseno and St Mary’s Yala have out-performed traditional big teams. The introduction of mini rugby clinics for kids under 10 years and Mtaa rugby clinics for neighbourhoods such as Buru Buru, Mathare and Ngong to name a few have publicised the game. All these efforts coupled with our rich rugby history spanning a century have turned rugby into one of the more popular sports in Kenya.
There are over 40 rugby clubs currently and over 30,000 rugby players most of whom are teenagers. This has energised the Kenya Sevens team currently featuring Collins Injera, his brother Humphrey Kayange, Oscar Osir, Ben Ayimba, Lucas Onyango, Dennis Mwanja, Victor Sudi, Lavin Asego, Ian Simiyu, Felix Ochieng, Gibson Weru, Biko Adema, Sidney Ashioya, Andrew Amonde, Oscar Ouma and Willy Ambaka to excel in the IRB Sevens competition where the Kenya team has been a constant feature since 2003. 
They have played convincingly against top teams such as New Zealand.