NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 10 – Kenya Cup defending champions Kabras Sugar will have the chance to extend their sibling rivalry with Menengai Oilers when they battle for the SOYA Men’s Team of the Year award during the gala to be held on January 20 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) is Nairobi.
The two teams, both owned by the Rai family, are favourites for the ongoing Kenya Cup 2022/23 season, with the sugar millers trailing their Nakuru-based brother, who lie second on the log with 24 points, by five points after five matches.
Oilers will be keen to exert revenge on Kabras who denied them a maiden Kenya Cup title courtesy of a 34-28 win at last season’s final held at the Bull Ring in Kakamega.
The sugar millers had led the regular Kenya Cup standings with 50 points from 10 wins before dismissing University of Strathmore Leos 12-7 enroute to the final.
They also successfully defended their Enterprise Cup title with a 9-6 victory over Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) at the RFUEA grounds in April.
Oilers claimed the scalp of then Kenya Cup defending champions KCB in the semis, winning 24-17 to secure a date with their Kakamega sibling.
Despite the loss in the final, the team did not end the season empty-handed but lifted the National Sevens Series trophy after clinching the Prinsloo Sevens with a 12-7 win over Leos, and coming second at Driftwood, Dala and Kakamega sevens.
national sides nominated
Other rugby sides nominated for the prestigious award are the national men’s 15s side and the national under-20 side – Chipu.
The Simbas finished second at the Africa Gold Cup in France, which also doubled as Rugby World Cup qualifiers, after a 36-0 loss to Namibia, after huge wins over Uganda and Algeria on the way to the final.
This performance earned them the right to compete at the final round of the Rugby World Cup qualifying tournament in Hong Kong where unfortunately they lost their three matches to the United States, Portugal and Hong Kong.
The Under-20s were similarly on a roll in 2022, claiming bronze at the 2022 Rugby Africa Barthes Trophy at the Nyayo Stadium in April after a pulsating 49-15 win over Madagascar.
Also up for recognition is Team Kenya’s 4x400m quartet that clinched bronze at July’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
The four, including Commonwealth Games 100m champion Wiseman Were, Boniface Mweresa, Mike Mokamba and William Raiyan who timed a season’s best of 3:02.41 on their way to a podium finish.
They will be joined by their athletics counterparts of Commonwealth 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala, Samuel Imeta, Dan Kiviasi and Dennis Otieno brought Kenya a historic 4x100m gold at the Senior Africa Athletics Championships in Reduit, Mauritius.
Handball will be represented by the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) who finished second at the East and Central Africa Club Championships in Zanzibar after a narrow 28-27 loss to Rwandese side Police.
