Kabras RFC coach Carlos Katywa has been appointed the Kenya Simbas' boss, taking over from fellow South African Jerome Paarwater, who moved to a consultancy role with the Namibia Rugby Union late last year.
Katywa's appointment as head coach follows an extensive review of the Simbas' 2025 season, which saw Kenya fail to qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. The review is an ambitious eight-year blueprint to guide the team to qualification for the 2035 World Cup.
Announcing the appointment, Kenya Rugby Union director of fixtures Leslie Mwangale said having a coach based in the country was a key consideration in settling on the South African tactician.
“He has been coaching Kabras and is around. He will not be coming from outside. He will be going to all matches to scout for new talent, whether in the Championship or nationwide, to identify upcoming talent in the country,” said Mwangale.
The Simbas have faced criticism from the rugby fraternity over their prolonged inactivity, having not played a match for more than a year. Their last outing was against Algeria during the 2027 Rugby World Cup qualifiers in Kampala, Uganda, in July 2025.
Mwangale, however, defended the review process, saying it was necessary to establish what went wrong and develop sustainable strategies for the next World Cup cycle.
“We sat down with stakeholders to come up with this eight-year plan. You have seen the success of the Kenya Under-20 team and the girls winning Youth Olympic gold, so we needed to identify the head coach who will take us forward, then synchronise with the Kenya Cup clubs before starting to look at possible matches next year,” he said.
Mwangale also said Katywa will soon meet all Kenya Cup coaches to outline his philosophy and tactical approach as the union seeks to link the national team and domestic clubs. “It is a key meeting because many times our rugby clubs have different philosophies and playing styles from what we want to see the national team offering.
“The meeting will lay down a strategy and establish where the clubs and national team can find common ground, as well as what the Simbas technical bench will be looking for in the run-up to international Test matches and Rugby World Cup qualifiers,” he added.
Katywa arrives at the national team with an impressive record at Kabras, having guided the Kakamega-based side to four Kenya Cup and Enterprise Cup titles while overseeing a 55-match unbeaten run dating back to 2022. He has also played a key role in identifying and nurturing emerging talent in the country.
The South African has previously served on the technical benches of both the Kenya Under-20 team and the Simbas, giving him experience of the national rugby structures he is now expected to lead.
