Roaming chef Ombachi defends Kenya Sevens after tough Vancouver 7s performance

Former Kenya Sevens star Dennis Ombachi, popularly known as 'The Roaming Chef' has jumped to the defense of Shujaa following their torrid performance at the Vancouver Sevens over the weekend.

Shujaa struggled in the tournament, losing all their pool matches before falling to Ireland in the 11th-place playoff. The performance drew criticism from Kenyan fans, but Ombachi, a vocal advocate for the team, expressed his support for the players.

"After ‘international’ coaches got us relegated, it was Kevin Mwema and his young team that brought us back with little to no support from the government and the union (due to lack of resources). We old boys were paying fare money and sometimes rent for these players!" Ombachi remarked.

He highlighted the resilience of the young team that defied the odds: "This young team overcame the favourites, a seasoned South African team, to qualify for the Olympic Games. Mind you, I think they also had Kenya’s best-ever performance at the Olympics."

Ombachi emphasized that their recent victories against South Africa, a powerhouse in rugby, were not flukes, adding, "If you thought it was a fluke, this underfunded and undernourished team again overcame South Africa in Dubai at the beginning of the season and haven’t lost to South Africa since."

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He also took aim at critics who only show up after the team performs poorly: "Most people abandoned the team and didn’t even watch a single match leading to us getting promoted back to the World Series, but now they are back like vermin demanding for a main cup trophy na budget ya PE private schools ime shinda sponsorship ya national team (and a private school's PE budget is more than the national team's sponsorship)."

In defending the team's performance, Ombachi acknowledged that the team did not perform well in Vancouver but stressed the importance of patience and understanding in their development.

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"I am not defending mediocrity; hawa vijana wame (these boys have) crack this tournament, but it’s part of the learning curve. Last year, they were not here! Stop expecting them to perform like they have always been up here."

Kenya Sevens had a disappointing run in the Vancouver leg of the World Sevens Series, finishing last after a 19-14 loss to Ireland in the 11th-place playoff. Kenya now shifts focus to Hong Kong Sevens set for Friday 28 to Sunday 30 March.

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