Winger Victor Odhiambo Mola is set for his long-awaited World Series debut after earning a place in Kenya’s Shujaa squad for the final two legs of the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Valladolid, Spain, and Bordeaux, France.
Head coach Kevin Wambua included the winger as Kenya head into the closing stages of the season carrying renewed belief and clarity following an encouraging seventh-place finish in Hong Kong.
Shujaa opened their campaign at Kai Tak Stadium with a commanding 19-0 victory over Spain before suffering narrow defeats to Great Britain and France during the pool stage. The side later defeated the United States in the ninth-place semifinal before falling to South Africa.
They, however, finished strongly with a 21-7 revenge victory over France in the seventh-place playoff. “The past five months have been good, and we want to continue this journey because the players have committed and put in the work,” said Wambua.
He explained that preparations had been divided into two phases, with emphasis placed on speed, force, breakdown roles, defensive line intent and improving awareness in crucial moments.
The coach added that the technical bench had revisited lessons from Hong Kong, particularly the late defeat to South Africa, during a productive 10-day training camp at Kasarani. “We ticked boxes, and we are better than we were in Hong Kong. We’ve put clarity into what we need to do against teams in our pool because situation awareness is important and the boys understand their roles much better,” Wambua said.
Mola’s inclusion is the only major change to the travelling squad after injury previously denied him opportunities to feature on the World Series circuit. Wambua described the winger as an agile and quick player capable of providing an X-factor late in matches while urging patience as he adapts to international rugby.
“Injury kept Mola out, but we are happy to have him now. He is agile, quick and can give the team the X factor. We ask him to be patient and make the best out of his inclusion,” Wambua added.
The coach also confirmed the return of Chrisant Ojwang from injury, while Patrick Odongo has also recovered in time to travel with the squad. Co-captain Samuel Asati said the short turnaround from Hong Kong still gave the squad enough time to sharpen key areas as he continues growing into his leadership role.
“The transition from Hong Kong was short, but enough leeway to work. I understand my role much better, the team is growing together, and we want to keep improving,” Asati said.
Fellow co-captain George Ooro struck a defiant tone ahead of a difficult Pool A assignment against South Africa, Australia and Great Britain. “We’re going to man up and give everything for the badge,” said Ooro.
Kenya Rugby Union chairperson Harriet Okach reminded the players of the team’s season target, insisting Shujaa must finish among the top eight teams in the 12-team World Championship standings to strengthen hopes of returning to HSBC SVNS 1 in 2027.
SportPesa marketing director, Senorine Wasike, also backed the team to finish the season strongly. Shujaa depart for Spain on Sunday evening ahead of the Valladolid leg scheduled for May 29-31, before concluding their campaign in Bordeaux from June 5-7.
Wambua remains hopeful that the continuity built over the last two years will continue shaping a distinct identity for the next generation of Kenyan sevens talent.
