Shujaa, the men’s national rugby 7s side, has announced the traveling squad for the opening leg of the 2024 Challenger Series in Dubai, UAE. The competition serves as a pathway for teams to reach the HSBC SVNS in 2025. Shujaa has been placed in Pool C, alongside Uganda, Germany, and Mexico. The other pools consist of Uruguay, Hong Kong China, Papua New Guinea, Georgia, Japan, Tonga, Chile, and Portugal.

The squad will be led by co-captains Vincent Onyala and Tony Omondi, with the remaining ten members forming the regular playing unit. The squad includes experienced players like Brian Tanga, Nygel Amaitsa, and Kevin Wekesa. Additionally, Patrick Odongo, who played a crucial role in securing Shujaa’s qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, has also made the squad. Regular players such as John Okoth and George Ooro have also been included.

In the previous matches, Kenya defeated Uganda 17-5 and Germany 19-5, securing a place in the main cup semis and eventually winning the title. Uganda, on the other hand, won the Bronze Medal match against Germany with a score of 31-7. The Challenger Series offers teams a clear promotion pathway to reach the HSBC SVNS in 2025. The top four men’s and women’s teams from the 2024 Challenger, based on cumulative series points, will have the opportunity to compete in the relegation play-off competition at the SVNS Grand Final in Madrid.

The traveling squad for Shujaa includes Vincent Onyala (co-captain), Tony Omondi (co-captain), Brian Tanga, Kevin Wekesa, George Ooro, John Okoth, Patrick Odongo, Samuel Asati, Nygel Amaitsa, Festus Shiasi, William Mwanji, and Brian Mutugi.