KCB appoints new coach in major technical bench reshuffle

Former Kenya Cup champions KCB Rugby have appointed Dennis Mwanja as the interim head coach. Mwanja, who also coaches Kenya Lionesses, will replace Oliver Mang’eni, whose contract officially concludes on Monday, 30 June.

The changes, effective from Monday, 26 May, mark a new chapter for the Bankers as they look to reignite their competitive edge ahead of the 2025 National Sevens Circuit.

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The restructuring also sees the departure of backs coach Darwin Mukidza and Team Manager Priscilla Amollo Ong’ombe, whose contracts have also expired.

The club’s chairman, James Mugo, confirmed the developments, noting that the decisions, though tough, are geared towards long-term success.

“After productive discussions with the coaching team, we have made a painful but aligned decision to make changes in the tech bench. We are looking at continually rebuilding the team to get back to winning ways,” Mugo said.

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Mugo reiterated the club’s ambition to reclaim its position at the pinnacle of Kenyan rugby, with a focus on the Kenya Cup and Enterprise Cup and consistent national team representation.

“Our ambition is to reclaim the Kenya Cup and Enterprise Cup titles and continue churning out players to the national team. With that in mind, we have to ensure that we lay the right foundation for a successful future,” he offered.

Mwanja, a former Kenya Sevens international, brings a wealth of experience to the helm. His immediate task will be to revamp KCB's Sevens side, which endured a mixed run last season. They only managed to win the Christie 7s and registered a poor performance during Prinsloo 7s, where they crashed out in the group stage.

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KCB’s campaign will be reinforced by the return of seasoned national team players Samuel Asati, Floyd Wabwire, Festus Shiasi, and Vincent Onyala, whose recent exposure with the Kenya Sevens is expected to inject much-needed experience and firepower into the squad.

The recent 2024/25 15s season proved to be one of the most challenging for KCB in recent memory.

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The Bankers finished third in the Kenya Cup, were runners-up in the Eric Shirley Shield (ESS) Cup, and bowed out at the Enterprise Cup semifinals.

Of particular note was their 12-15 loss to Menengai Oilers in the ESS Cup final, an end to a long-standing reign in that competition.

The team also faced significant hurdles, including a 25-17 regular season loss to Kabras and a heavy 31-8 semifinal defeat to Menengai Oilers, which denied them a shot at the Kenya Cup final. They were later knocked out of the Enterprise Cup semis with a narrow 25-21 loss to Kabras RFC.

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