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Radical changes that propelled Blak Blad to historic Kenya Cup podium finish
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Reading Time: 6min | Tue. 02.06.26. | 15:48
Blak Blad finished third in the recently concluded campaign, marking the highest finish in the club’s 50-year history
For years, Kenyatta University’s Blak Blad were seen as a spirited varsity side that could occasionally trouble the big boys but never truly challenge for top honours in Kenya rugby’s top-tier.
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However, that narrative changed dramatically in the 2025//26 Kenya Cup season.
Blak Blad finished third in the recently concluded campaign, marking the highest finish in the club’s 50-year history and signalling the rise of a side that has steadily transformed from perennial underdogs into genuine contenders.
Behind that transformation is head coach Benard ‘Tichi’ Rotich, a man who has quietly rebuilt the culture, mentality, and discipline within the university side since officially taking charge in September 2022.
Rotich’s journey with the club started long before he became head coach. He started volunteering as a coach at the institution in 2019 while still playing for Impala RFC.
He would then gradually rise to serve as the school’s assistant coach from 2022 under coach Williams Motto.
When he finally took over the reins in 2022, he inherited a team with talent but lacking the mentality needed to compete consistently at the highest level.
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“The mindset had to shift from just being there to believing we can become something,” Rotich told Mozzart Sport.
The tactician was quick to identify entitlement among senior players as one of the major obstacles standing in the team’s way.
“There was a feeling of being entitled to play just because you are senior,” he explained.
Changing that culture would not come easy.
According to Rotich, one of the biggest hurdles was convincing players to embrace an entirely new way of doing things. Training became more intense, discipline standards were raised, and accountability became non-negotiable.
“The major challenge was resistance to change because everything shifted from their normal way. It got uncomfortable because I now demanded a lot from them in terms of discipline, how they operated, and training also got tougher.
This affected the seniors majorly because they were used to just doing the bare minimum,” he said.
The results of those changes started becoming visible during the 2025 Impala Floodlit Tournament. Blak Blad finished third after edging hosts Impala RFC 21-19 in the playoff match, a performance that quietly served as a warning ahead of the Kenya Cup season.
That momentum carried into the league campaign.
The students finished fifth in the regular season to qualify for the playoffs, where they faced Strathmore Leos in a tense quarterfinal clash. Blak Blad narrowly secured a 27-25 victory to reach the semifinals for the first time in their history.
For Rotich, that victory was the moment he truly believed the team was destined for something special.
“As we started the journey years ago, I always believed one day we would be here. Throughout the journey, we had come so close.
The way we started the season at Floodies and the fighting spirit we had during the season, I could see it coming. When we got position five and met Strathmore, it became clearer.
The drive in the boys in the week leading to playing Strathmore was unmatched, and I knew we would make a step higher,” he offered.
Blak Blad’s historic run would eventually end in the semifinals against five-time defending champions Kabras RFC, who claimed a 48-12 victory despite a spirited performance from the students.
The varsity side would later receive a walkover from Nondies RFC in the third-place playoff to officially seal a bronze-medal finish.
For a team operating without the financial muscle enjoyed by some of the league’s giants, the achievement made the accomplishment even more remarkable.
“I can’t say we are at high performance, but we really try to give our best every time we take to the pitch.
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The fact that we have no monetary allowance as motivation also helps us to play from the heart, knowing it’s just for us. All we get from doing well is the feeling that we can’t explain,” Rotich averred.
Even with rugby demands increasing, Rotich has remained intentional about ensuring players prioritise education. On the university side, academics remain central to the club’s philosophy.
“We tell them they are first students before rugby players, so the core mandate is academics,” he said.
The team introduced a strict policy in 2023 requiring players to graduate before being allowed to leave for another club.
“We also have a policy we enacted in 2023 that a player has to graduate to be released or leave for another club,” Rotich revealed.
The club additionally encourages players to dedicate time to studies after training sessions and hopes to begin assessing academic performance every semester during one-on-one evaluations.
For Rotich, the bronze medal was a validation of years of sacrifice, patience, and belief.
“It’s humbling because of the journey we have been through, fulfilling because of how much sacrifice the boys put in to get there, and blessed because we achieved the milestone,” he said.
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“As a person, I’m just grateful to God and to these boys so much.”
Ironically, Rotich believes this season’s squad was among the least talented groups he has coached at the club.
“Blak Blad this season has had the leanest and least talented squads among those that I have coached, and yet they are bronze medalists. To be specific, I have used only 28 players this season, and most are upcoming talents,” he explained.
Despite the success, the coach still feels there are areas within Kenyan rugby that need improvement, particularly officiating at breakdowns and scrums.
“Generally, officiating, especially at the breakdowns and scrums, has really bothered me because you train the right way, and on the day you find funny calls.
It becomes difficult to convince players otherwise because they know what’s right and they know the rules,” he pointed out.
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Still, Rotich remains deeply connected to the institution that helped shape his coaching journey.
“Personally, Blak Blad to me is family and a vessel that has allowed me to impact different people through sport.
It has shaped me into the person I am today and the leader I am becoming. It has kept me grounded and taught me to appreciate the little things and the impact they have,” he said.
As the club shifts focus to the sevens circuit, ambition continues to grow within the camp. Blak Blad now wants to make a statement in the National 7s Circuit.
“We hope to have the school sponsor us for the sevens and any other well-wishers who see our work. For the sevens, we are even hungrier after making it third in Kenya Cup, and we have a goal of winning at least one leg,” he revealed.