Kenya Sevens coach Damian McGrath fired
Kenya Sevens head coach Damian McGrath names the team for the he Hamilton and Sydney legs of the World Series at the KCB Sports Club, Nairobi on January 11, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Wambua will be deputised by South African Carlos Katywa and former Kenya Sevens skipper and 2016 Singapore Sevens winning captain Andrew Amonde.
- Wambua takes over from Briton Damian McGrath, whom he had deputised since May last year.
Former Mwamba Rugby Club coach Kelvin “Bling” Wambua is the new Kenya Sevens head coach.
Wambua will be deputised by South African Carlos Katywa and former Kenya Sevens skipper and 2016 Singapore Sevens winning captain Andrew Amonde.
Wambua takes over from Briton Damian McGrath, whom he had deputised since May last year.
Richard Ochieng takes over as the new Strength and Conditioning coach, replacing Geoffrey Kimani while Lameck Bogonko has been retained as the team’s physiotherapist.
Eric Ogweno keeps his position as the Team Manager.
A highly placed source at the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) said that the union has been forced to terminate McGrath’s contract since they can’t afford to pay his salary after Kenya Sevens was relegated from the World Rugby Sevens Series last season.
"The KRU Board isn't able to pay him, especially at this time when the team is relegated," said the source, adding that they agreed to part ways mutually.
McGrath took over from Innocent "Namcos"Simiyu, who was fired on May 11 last year before the Briton was unveiled as the new coach three days later.
McGrath's exit now means the Kenya Sevens coaching job has changed hands 12 times since 2010.
Kenya lost to Canada 12-7 at the London Sevens relegation play-offs on May 21 to see the country relegated from the World Rugby Sevens Series for the first time in 23 years.
Kenya will enter the Africa Regional Sevens Championships in order to qualify for the 2024 World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series that is the pathway to the 2024/ 2025 series.
