Kenya Lionesses captain Sheila Chajira will headline the squad for the 2026 Africa Women’s 7s, marking her return to the team following her involvement at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.The continental tournament is scheduled for Saturday, 7 to Sunday, 8 November at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi, where the Lionesses will be seeking an immediate return to the HSBC SVNS 2.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsChajira, 32, recently earned a prestigious appointment as an Athlete Role Model at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, becoming part of a select group of former Olympians tasked with mentoring and inspiring young athletes during the historic competition, which was held on African soil for the first time.She will share the captaincy responsibilities with Stella Wafula, bringing leadership and experience to a side determined to reclaim its place in the second tier of international sevens rugby.##NAJAVA_MECA_10088120##Wafula also brings valuable international exposure, having joined the Rhinos High-Performance Camp last year. The professional rugby development programme, run by Rhinos Rugby in partnership with the Rugby Tens Championship, provides elite players with intensive training and exposure across the 15s, 7s and Tens formats.Meanwhile, Quins Queens speedster Catherine Elizabeth is the only debutant in the 12-player squad.Elizabeth earned her maiden national team call-up following an impressive 2026 National 7s Circuit campaign, where she finished as the competition's top try scorer.How Mwamba navigated key player absences to clinch 5th consecutive Impala Floodlights titleShe joins an experienced squad featuring the likes of Faith Livoi, scrum-half Judith Auma, Freshia Oduor, Sinaida Mokaya, Marvel Oswago and Moreen Muritu.The Lionesses will be under pressure to deliver on home soil after a difficult 2026 HSBC SVNS 2 campaign saw them miss out on qualification for the elite World Championship Series, resulting in their relegation to SVNS 3.The Africa Women’s 7s presents Kenya with an opportunity to secure an immediate return to the second tier, with a place in the tournament final offering the most direct pathway to promotion ahead of the 2027 season.Boost for Kenya Lionesses as KRU announces new player welfare planHowever, their qualification hopes could extend to the Dubai Sevens in December, depending on their performance in Nairobi.Kenya have been drawn in Pool B alongside Tunisia, Ghana and Egypt in the 12-team competition. The hosts will need to negotiate the pool stage successfully, before navigating the knockout rounds to keep their promotion ambitions alive.Pool A features defending champions South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Rwanda, while Pool C comprises Uganda, Madagascar, Mauritius and Burkina Faso.Dakar Olympics: Mighty Kenya claim gold after massive upset against AustraliaSouth Africa will arrive as the team to beat after defeating Kenya 22-0 in last year's Africa Women’s 7s final. The Lionesses will therefore be keen to use home advantage and the backing of the Nairobi crowd to challenge the continental heavyweights.A place in the final would put Kenya in a strong position to reclaim their SVNS 2 status.Kenya Lionesses squad:Nelly Chikombe, Yvette Okech, Moreen Muritu, Sheila Chajira, Faith Livoi, Stella Wafula, Sinaida Mokaya, Janet Okello, Judith Auma, Marvel Oswago, Freshia Oduor and Catherine Elizabeth.