Kenya Rugby Union has come up with an ambitious eight year performance strategy to ensure the various national teams are competitive.
The proposed 2027–2035 Fifteens Performance Strategy, themed “From Reach to Readiness,” seeks to shift the focus from participation growth towards player quality, readiness and sustained international competitiveness.
The roadmap covers the Kenya Simbas, Kenya Lionesses, Chipu, U16 and U18 programmes, with the long-term objective of creating a connected player-development system that takes players from schools and clubs through age-grade and domestic competitions into the national teams.
The strategy is structured around three phases: Build (2027–2028), Compete (2029–2031) and Sustain (2032–2035).
During the Build phase, the focus will be on establishing the foundations required for long-term performance. This includes structured player development curricula, regular player assessments, coaching workshops, mentorship programmes and the introduction of national performance camps during the Kenya Cup season.
Kenya Rugby Union director in charge of 15s rugby Moses Mukabane said the plan should eventually culminate in the country qualifying for the Rugby World Cup in 2035” Ultimately thats what wed are looking at in the the next two rugby cycles” observed Mukabane
Mukabane said the union has addressed previous failures in World Cup cycles and opted to take long term view in building a solid squad “ Our preparation heading into qualifiers has not been ideal but with this roadmap it give us leverage”
International exposure he added is also a key component of the strategy, with KRU targeting six to ten international matches annually for the Simbas, while the U20 programme is expected to receive approximately eight meaningful match opportunities.
The Union also plans to strengthen the domestic competition structure through the development of the Super Series, which is envisioned as an elite competition connecting the Kenya Cup, Kenya A and the Simbas.
Women’s 15s rugby will form another important pillar of the roadmap, with plans to increase domestic fixtures and strengthen the pathway into the Kenya Lionesses.
At age-grade level, greater competition opportunities for U16, U18 and U20 players are expected to provide a stronger foundation for future national-team selection and development.
The strategy further proposes the establishment of a Kenya 15s Partnership Circle, bringing together corporate partners, rugby legends, former leaders and other stakeholders to support the long-term growth of the programme.
Financial sustainability has also been identified as a priority, with KRU looking to diversify revenue through ticketing, hospitality, merchandising, broadcasting and commercial partnerships.
The first year of implementation will concentrate on putting the player development framework in place, pursuing international fixtures, strengthening coaching capacity, planning the Super Series and expanding women’s and age-grade competition opportunities.
The subsequent Compete phase (2029–2031) will focus on translating the structures established during the first phase into stronger competitive performances, while the Sustain phase (2032–2035) will seek to embed the system and maintain consistent performance over the long term
