Mwamba to field development side at KRU 10-aside Festival

WILLIAM NJUGUNA

January 30, 2026 2 min read

Stephanie Waithera

Mwamba Ladies head coach Joseph Babu will field a largely developmental side for the KRU 10-aside women’s tournament set for Saturday at the RFUEA Ground, as the club prioritises its push for another Kenya Cup title.

Babu said Mwamba’s squad depth has given him the flexibility to rest his regular starters ahead of the Kenya Cup, which begins on February 7, while offering younger players valuable competitive exposure at the festival.

“We are grateful to have a big squad, so this weekend we’ll allow our rookies and fringe players to play in the KRU festival,” said Babu. “Our regular team will be focused on the Kenya Cup.”

The KRU 10-aside festival runs alongside the Kenya Cup calendar and is part of the Kenya Rugby Union’s broader development strategy for women’s rugby.

While the short-format competition offers a chance for silverware, Babu emphasised that Mwamba’s long-term objective is sustained success in the league.

“Our target is to win the Kenya Cup again and go for a fifth title,” he said. “At the same time, we must develop young players coming from schools and other clubs, so that in the next one or two years they can graduate into the first team.”

Mwamba have been drawn in Pool A, alongside Quins Queens, NYS Spades, Pioneer Gilgil and Murang’a Ladies. Pool B comprises Northern Suburbs, Blad Babes, NYS Scorpions, Kiamba Ladies and Kisii University.

The tournament will start with pool matches before advancing to the plate and main cup semi-finals, followed by the plate final, third-place playoff and the main cup final, where the day’s champions will be crowned.

Babu expects stiff competition in the Kenya Cup, especially from Quins, Impala and Northern Suburbs.

“Quins have recruited well, while Impala have always had championship DNA and have been one of our biggest rivals,” he noted.

Babu also welcomed the Ministry of Education’s decision to introduce 15s rugby at the national schools games in April in Kisumu, describing it as a vital step in strengthening the women’s game through structured age-grade development.