• RUGBY

• Frank Rotich 1 month ago

KCB retain National Sevens Circuit title as Oilers win Christie Sevens

KCB Rugby are the SportPesa National Sevens Circuit champions.

This was the bankers third consecutive title, despite failing to reach the Christie Sevens which was played on Sunday in Nairobi.

Both KCB and their closest rivals Kabras Sugar were eliminated in the semifinals at the RFUEA Grounds, bringing the season-long title race to an end.

Menengai Oilers, meanwhile, finished the campaign on a high by winning their first leg of the season after defeating Strathmore Leos 24-12 in the Christie Sevens final.

Glacious Owino opened the scoring for Oilers before substitute Chrispine Shitundo added two tries to help the side secure the victory.

Strathmore had earlier stunned KCB 19-12 in the semifinals, with a late penalty try denying the Bankers a chance to finish the season with another leg title.

Oilers then beat an injury-hit Kabras Sugar 20-10 to book their place in the final, setting up a clash with Strathmore.

KCB recovered from the semifinal defeat by edging Kabras 5-0 in sudden death, with George Ooro scoring the decisive try to give the Bankers third place in the final leg.

The Christie Sevens was the only leg of the six-round circuit where neither KCB nor Kabras featured in the final.

The 2026 National Sevens Circuit began with the Prinsloo Sevens in Nakuru before moving to Kisumu for the Dala Sevens, Nairobi for the Kabeberi Sevens, Mombasa for the Driftwood Sevens and Embu for the penultimate leg.

The Christie Sevens brought the campaign to a close in Nairobi.

KCB were crowned overall men's champions with Kabras Sugar finishing second and Menengai Oilers third.

In the women's category, Mwamba claimed the overall circuit title, followed by Quins Queens in second and Kiambaa Ladies in third.

SportPesa invested Sh34.14 million in the 2026 National Sevens Circuit, supporting clubs and players throughout the season.

SportPesa CEO Captain Ronald Karauri said the campaign had demonstrated the quality, competitiveness and passion within Kenyan rugby.

The completion of the 2026 circuit marks another milestone in the development of sevens rugby in Kenya.