Former Kenya Simbas lock Oliver Mang’eni has outlined key areas Kenya must address to become competitive in the 15s game, insisting that the country must invest in the longer format as much as it does in sevens rugby.The Kenya Harlequin lineouts coach believes that Kenya’s ambitions of competing at the highest level in 15s will remain unfulfilled unless deliberate efforts are made to strengthen the domestic league, improve talent development and establish structures that allow players to compete against top-level opposition.The former KCB Rugby forward pointed to the lack of competitiveness in the Kenya Cup. Currently, KCB, Kabras Sugar and Menengai Oilers have emerged as the leading sides, while several community-based clubs continue to struggle financially. The Kenya Cup also remains without a sponsor, further highlighting the challenges facing the domestic competition.“For our 15s game to grow, we need to be very intentional about its development. We need to create value in our league. As things stand, there is little value in the way our 15s competition is structured, with only three teams competing at the top year after year.Our league lacks the quality we need. We must improve the competition, secure a league sponsor and start sending players abroad to face serious competition against the kind of opponents they will encounter when competing for places at the Rugby World Cup,” Mang’eni said.Kenya’s struggles in the longer format were evident during the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup in Kampala, Uganda, where the Simbas narrowly missed out on qualification for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.The Simbas suffered a heartbreaking 29-23 defeat to Zimbabwe in the semi-finals despite leading 18-13 at half-time. They subsequently lost 15-5 to Algeria in the third-place playoff to finish fourth in the continental tournament.Zimbabwe went on to beat Namibia 30-28 in the final to claim Africa’s sole qualification slot, ending a 34-year absence from the Rugby World Cup.The Simbas have also gone more than 460 days without playing a friendly or test match, raising further concerns about their preparation and competitiveness at international level.Mang’eni believes Kenya must rethink its approach to sevens rugby, arguing that while the shorter format provides entertainment and helps market the sport, it should also serve as a development pathway for the 15s game.“If we are not intentional about developing the 15s game, we will continue focusing on sevens. But sevens alone will not take us where we want to go in terms of the global 15s rankings. We need to be deliberate about investing in the longer version of the game.Sevens should be used as a pathway to develop players for 15s rugby. I feel that sevens is a shorter format that offers entertainment and helps market the sport, but the 15s game is where we need to build our long-term ambitions,” he said.The former KCB Rugby coach cited South Africa’s Blitzboks as an example of how sevens can complement the development of 15-a-side rugby, noting that players can use the format as a stepping stone towards securing contracts with 15s clubs.“If you look at the South African Blitzboks, players also use sevens as an opportunity to earn 15s contracts with clubs. That is the direction we should be taking. Otherwise, sevens risks becoming the end goal for Kenyan rugby instead of serving as a development pathway for the 15s game,” Mang’eni added.Beyond the playing structures, Mang’eni believes the development of the 15s game will require committed leadership and a clear long-term strategy to address the challenges facing the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU).“Once the board resolves the political issues surrounding the Sports Act and the other matters currently affecting the union, we need people in office who are genuinely committed to growing the game. We need leadership that is intentional about developing rugby and putting the structures in place to make Kenya competitive again,” he urged.He further called for increased investment in grassroots programmes, school rugby and the lower tiers of the domestic league, arguing that developing a strong national team must begin with a competitive and well-supported club structure.“We have to invest in talent development, from the grassroots to schools. We must strengthen our league, improve the Championship and develop the nationwide competition structure if we are to become competitive.We currently lack a competitive edge because we have not invested enough in the 15s version of the game. Until we address that, it will be difficult for Kenya to compete at the level we aspire to,” he added. Mang’eni remains one of the most decorated players in Kenyan club rugby, having spent 12 years at KCB Rugby, commonly known as the Bankers, from 2010 before retiring at the end of the 2022 Kenya Cup season.During his time at KCB, he won the Kenya Cup five times in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022. He also lifted the Enterprise Cup three times in 2015, 2016 and 2017, as well as the Impala Floodlights title on five occasions in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019.At international level, Mang’eni was part of the Kenya team that won the Rugby Africa Cup in 2013. He also featured in the 2014 Rugby World Cup qualifiers and represented the country at the 2018 World Cup Repechage tournament in France.He additionally featured for Shujaa during the 2014/2015 season before playing in the Currie Cup Division One in 2022 under head coach Paul Odera.
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