Nygel Amaitsa fends off Ray Ambale of Kabras during the Driftwood Sevens final held in Mombasa/HANDOUTKCB RFC coach Andrew Amonde believes victory over Kabras Sugar in their opening Kenya Cup match could set his side on course to top the group phase and earn the right to host the final for the first time in eight years.
The bankers face a daunting start to their campaign when they travel to Kakamega on November 21 to take on six-time champions Kabras, who have gone 55 Kenya Cup matches unbeaten since February 2022.
Amonde knows the challenge awaiting his side but believes a positive result against the defending champions would provide an early statement of intent.
“We are desperate to play the final in Nairobi after coming close in the last couple of years, and a win will set us up nicely for the remainder of the season and set us on a run to the final,” said Amonde.
The former Kenya Sevens captain said most of his players, particularly the forwards, began their pre-season preparations in August and have completed eight weeks of intensive training.
Their preparations will now shift to floodlit sessions at Impala RFC and a pre-season friendly against Uganda’s Kobs, although the date for the latter is yet to be confirmed.
“We are ticking nicely towards the start of the season. The boys are looking in good shape, and we are just finishing our final touches before the 15s season kicks off,” Amonde said.
KCB have also strengthened their technical bench with the appointment of former Blak Blad coach Bernard Rotich as skills and kicking coach.
Amonde believes Rotich can address one of their key weaknesses after their recent defeats by Kabras. “If you look back at the final against Kabras last year, we missed a lot of kicks, which are key.
Rotich adds value to the technical side and will help our kickers, especially in those tough moments,” he said. KCB have played second fiddle to Kabras since winning their last Kenya Cup title in 2021, when they edged their rivals 28-25 in sudden death at Nandi Bears Club.
Their recent meetings have largely gone Kabras’ way. KCB lost 19-9 at Kakamega Showground in 2023, suffered a 29-5 defeat at the same venue the following year and were beaten 14-8 in the 2026 final.
The Kenya Cup regulations provide that the team finishing top of the group phase hosts the final, a provision that has been in place since the 2016/17 season. KCB last hosted the final in 2018, beating Kabras 29-24 in a pulsating contest. Since 2019, Kabras have enjoyed home advantage in the final after consistently finishing top of the group phase.
