Action between KU Blak Blad and KCB/HANDOUT

KCB coach Andrew Amonde believes the appointment of former Blak Blad head coach Bernard Rotich as the club’s new skills coach will be crucial in their quest to wrestle the Kenya Cup trophy for Kabras Sugar.

The bankers have missed out on the league title for the past five years.
Amonde believes Rotich’s experience will strengthen the coaching department and add value to KCB’s 15-a-side structure.
“He brings a lot of experience to the club and will be an asset, especially to our 15s game and structure, so we are delighted to have him on board,” Amonde said.
Rotich joins a technical bench headed by Amonde and which includes Dennis Mwanja, Jacob Ojee and other members of the coaching staff.
His move to KCB comes after a landmark 2025/26 season with Blak Blad, when he guided the Eldoret-based side to their first-ever Kenya Cup semi-final.
Rotich had served Blak Blad for 15 years, first spending four to five years as a player before returning as a coach in September 2019.
During his time in charge, he helped transform Blak Blad into a competitive Kenya Cup side, culminating in their historic run to the last four last season.
Meanwhile, Amonde is also confident KCB have the depth required to defend their National Sevens Circuit title despite losing several key players for the final two legs.
George Ooro, Vincent Onyala, Samuel Asati, Nygel Amaitsa and Festus Shiasi are expected to feature at the Ultimate Sevens Championship in Europe next month, leaving Amonde to rely on his wider squad for the remaining legs.
“Our depth is strong and I believe the players we select will be able to handle the pressure and guide us in the final legs,” Amonde said.
KCB saw their lead in the National Sevens Circuit standings cut to three points after losing 15-5 to Kabras in the Driftwood Sevens final.
Amonde said the defeat had given the team an opportunity to assess their shortcomings before the next assignment.
“We have a couple of days to go back to the drawing board and see what went wrong and be better at the Embu Sevens,” he said.
The bankers will now look to use the remaining sevens legs to fine-tune their squad before shifting their attention to the Kenya Cup, where they hope Rotich’s arrival will further strengthen their bid for the title.