Why Innocent ‘Namcos’ Simiyu was fired as Shujaa head coach

That Wednesday night, as the clock struck around 9PM in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the country’s rugby governing body Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) sent out a fully thought statement.

“The Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) has opted to part ways with Innocent Simiyu, Head Coach of the Kenyan men's national sevens team, Shujaa. Also leaving the Shujaa setup are technical bench members Michael Shamiah and Anthony Muchiri,” read the opening part of the press release.

It had just been 17 days since Shujaa, in uninspiring fashion, managed to book their place in the upcoming 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens Tournament set to be held in South Africa later in September.

In the two-day tourney held in Kampala, Uganda on 23/24 April, Shujaa, who went into the continental showpiece as the defending champions and the only team out of the fourteen participating in the prestigious HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series Circuit, struggled to assert their status as they were tossed and turned as fans back in the country looked away.

Africa 7s tournament exposes shambolic Shujaa as alarm bells grow louder

Mozzart Sport can now reveal that it is those performances where Kenya clutch on straws and threw the kicks of a dying horse to salvage a third-place finish that ended up costing Namcos his job.

“Namcos had been in charge with the team since before COVID-19 kicked in. We believe that as a board we gave him the best opportunity and supported him during his tenure. However, with the games in Uganda, there was no running away from the results and I believe in the best interests of the game and the country, change needed to be made. While it was a difficult decision, we had to do what we believe was in the best interests of the game,” Ian Mugambi, KRU Honorary Secretary revealed.

The fired boss was immediately replaced by Englishman Damian McGrath who is reported will take charge for the next two years leading up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France and will be assisted by the highly rated Mwamba RFC head coach Kevin Wambua.

Shujaa to face Fiji, France and Wales in Toulouse 7s Group Stage

McGrath boasts of an impeccable CV having previously been at the helm of Germany 7s, Samoa 7s, and Canada 7s where he has achieved commendable success.