Maa Warriors ready for nationwide league debut

Narok County rugby team; the Maa Warriors will be looking to make history as the first team in the county to join the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) nationwide league. The team will be keen to showcase their true Warrior spirit to not only dominate the lowest league but also transform Narok County into a hub of rugby excellence.

In preparation for their much-awaited debut, a notable group of rugby officials among them Rift Valley Regional Development Officer (RDO) Victor Oduor visited the Ole Ntimama Stadium, and after close inspection, they approved it as a safe training ground for the Warriors.

Oduor who is a renowned referee also commended the Narok Rugby Union's effort to develop the sport in Narok. The RDO assured the Kenya Rugby Union's support in making what seemed like a far-fetched dream come true.

"I am very happy with what I am witnessing, rugby in Narok County. I am particularly impressed by the vision of the Narok Rugby Union of developing and introducing a new club to the nationwide league. We will hold your hands on this journey," Oduor assured.

Narok County Director of Sports Mr. Benson Kariuki was also pleased with the initiative and pledged their support for the same. He further expressed the devolved unit's intention to tap into sports tourism through disciplines like rugby.

"This is very encouraging to see. We as a county are really impressed with the baby steps the Narok Rugby Union and the Warriors in general are making, and we hereby want to commit to helping you grow and exceed expectations. The county is determined to grow rugby and this is timely," Mr Kariuki said.

Narok Rugby Union Secretary General Gakari Thomas was pleased with the kind gesture from the county and KRU, and he pledged to fight tooth and nail to ensure that the Warriors stand on their feet. The team was formed in 2016 but was off to a slow start before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic which saw it collapse.

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Learning from the lessons of the past, Gakari led a team of rugby fans and players to form the Narok Rugby Union in 2021 with the objective of establishing Narok as a rugby powerhouse one step at a time. The union has since led the team to challenge establishing a rugby club and now boasts of high-quality large rugby players from the local community.

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Since last year, as part of their strategic plan to give the team experience, the union has organized friendlies against neighboring teams like Molo RFC and Nakuru RFC. The Warriors train at the Ole Ntimama Stadium. The last tournament hosted at the stadium was on Sunday 7 May when they played against Molo RFC, Nakuru RFC, and Bomet RFC. They will be captained by Innocent Lumumba a seasoned rugby player and student at Masai Mara University.

"We are so pleased to welcome you to Narok. A big thank you to the Union and the county government for holding our hands. With your support, we will propel this team to greater heights. Our dream goes beyond the nationwide league," Gakari said.

Other officials of the NRU present were the Union's Chairman Johnjack Simiren and Edward Prseen who was tasked with resource mobilization.

The NRU is also working on other bigger projects including the Mara Rugby Festival penciled for November this year, the Mara Rugby Opens scheduled for February 2023, and the Maasai Mara Rugby 7s, set to be played inside the magnificent Maasai Mara National Park in the course of 2023, preferably during the wildebeest migration.