Fourteen Kenyan rugby sevens stars have earned selection for the Ultimate Sevens Championship, underlining the country's growing influence on the global sevens stage. The competition, designed to bring together the world's best players,including Olympians and world champions,will be staged across four events in Madrid, Cardiff, Biarritz and London this September.The selected players, drawn from both the Kenya Shujaa and Kenya Lionesses squads, will represent six franchise teams in the new-look championship.
Clan Taran will feature the experienced trio of Vincent Onyala, John Okoth and Sheila Chajira. Onyala heads into the competition as a two-time Olympian who has also represented Kenya at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the Rugby World Cup Sevens. Okoth, a member of Kenya's Paris 2024 Olympic squad, previously represented Kenya U20 and recently featured in India's Rugby Premier League. Joining them is Kenya Lionesses captain Sheila Chajira, a two-time Olympian who also turned out for the Chennai Bulls in this year's Rugby Premier League.
At Sol Feroz, Shujaa co-captain George Ooro and Kenya Lionesses’ Moreen Muritu will carry the Kenyan flag. Ooro was part of Kenya's successful Paris 2024 Olympic qualification campaign before representing the country at the Games. Muritu featured in the Olympic qualifiers and was part of the Lionesses side that won the 2025 HSBC Challenger Series before securing promotion to the 2026 HSBC SVNS Division 2 through the LA Playoffs.
Atlantic Novas will have Chrisant Ojwang, the Paris 2024 Olympian who continues to establish himself as one of Shujaa's dependable performers on the HSBC SVNS circuit.
Three more Kenyans will line up for Pacific Current. Environmental advocate Kevin Wekesa, a Paris 2024 Olympian and two-time Rugby Premier League player with the Hyderabad Heroes, is joined by fellow Olympian Tony Omondi, who has represented Shujaa since 2021. Completing the trio is Kenya Lionesses dual international Freshia Oduor, who played a key role in Kenya's 2025 Challenger Series triumph and subsequent qualification for the 2026 HSBC SVNS Division 2.
Kenya Rugby Union CEO Thomas Odundo welcomed the selections, saying they reflect the quality of Kenyan rugby and the commitment shown by the players. He also noted that the increasing number of Lionesses earning opportunities abroad is a positive sign for the continued growth of the women's game.
Ultimate Sevens co-founder Tom Mitchell said the competition was created to bring together the world's top sevens talent in an exciting new format. He added that Kenya has always held a special place in the sport and expressed his excitement at seeing Kenyan stars feature alongside some of the best players in the world, while also acknowledging the unmatched passion of Kenyan rugby fans.
