Nairobi City Thunder players celebrate with the Kenya Basketball Federation Men's Premier League trophy at Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi on September 13, 2025.
The national rugby champions, Kabras Sugar, and their basketball counterparts, Nairobi City Thunder, have several things in common.
The two clubs have been undefeated for several seasons in both the regular and knock-out stages of their respective leagues. They also both have foreign coaches and a mixture of local and foreign players in their ranks.
On Saturday, South African Carlos Katywa guided five-time champions Kabras Sugar to their 47th consecutive Kenya Cup victory, defeating fierce rivals Kenyatta University’s Blak Blad 26–16 at the university’s grounds.
Kabras Sugar RFC coach Carlos Katywa celebrates after his team beat KCB 29-5 in the final of the Kenya Cup league at kakamega showground on April 6, 2024.
Katywa has not lost a Kenya Cup or Enterprise Cup match since he took over from his fellow countryman, Jérôme Muller, as head coach for the 2022/23 season.
Katywa, who was Muller’s deputy for a season, has won the Kenya Cup three times in a row and the Enterprise Cup four times in a row, both unbeaten. No team has ever gone three seasons unbeaten in the Kenya Cup.
Meanwhile, American tactician Bradley Ibs led two-time champions City Thunder to their 61st consecutive win when they beat Equity Bank Dumas 105–67 last weekend in their 2026 Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Men’s Premier League opener.
Ibs is now in his third season and has enjoyed a flawless run, winning all 30 matches in both the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons. This includes the knock-out stages, in which they never conceded a game.
Twende Sports appointed Ibs as the City Thunder’s head coach in July 2023, to lead the team for the 2023–24 season, following a management change.
Nairobi City Thunder coach Bradley Ibs poses with his trophy at Nyayo National Stadium on December 15, 2025 after being named the coach of the month of November.
Ibs guided City Thunder to a historic victory in the 2023/24 Premier League, achieving the rare feat of winning both the regular and knock-out stages without losing a single match.
Each team in the league plays 22 matches in the regular season on a home-and-away basis. This paves the way for the quarter-finals, which are played on a best-of-three basis, and the semi-final and the final, which are played on a best-of-five basis.
Tylor Ongwae (left) of Nairobi City Thunder dribbles the ball under pressure from Cello Chirombe of Ferroviario da Beira during their semi final match of the Elite 16 (East Division) qualifiers of 2026 Basketball Africa League.
City Thunder have dominated their opponents without conceding a single game, affirming their prowess and demonstrating how professionalising operations can transform sports.
Katywa, who turned 40 on January 17, is slowly approaching a half-century of victories since taking charge at Kakamega Forest, with three matches remaining in the regular season.
Kabras Sugar RFC players players celebrate with the Kenya Cup trophy after beating Menengai Oilers 27-26 at ASK showground Kakamega on April 12, 2025.
Kabras will play Nondescripts at home on Saturday, followed by away matches against KCB on March 7 and Menengai Oilers on March 14.
“It’s the professional structures that we have put in place with the help of our sponsors, West Kenya Sugar Company Limited,” said Katywa, adding they have also instilled a culture of accountability, honesty, and responsibility at Kabras Sugar.
With 40 points from eight bonus-point victories, Kabras Sugar top the 12-team Kenya Cup league. They are tied with Menengai Oilers on points, but have a superior aggregate, with the Nakuru-based side also having won all eight of their matches with bonus points.
Ibs, who is looking forward to another successful Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Premier League and African Basketball League (BAL) campaign, noted that his team’s chemistry and discipline have improved, with players performing confidently in their specific roles.
City Thunder deputy coach Rose Mshila said that the culture and systems set in place by the team’s management at Twende Sports are driving their success.
“This is achieved by ensuring the players’ welfare comes first and they have everything they need to perform well,” said Mshila.
She added that the technical bench, led by Ibs, is on a mission to raise the standards of the game in the country and establish Kenya as a force to be reckoned with in the world of basketball.
The Twende Sports takeover brought the financial muscle that had been lacking, enabling them to sign high-calibre players such as Garang Ding and Moses Alier from South Sudan, as well as Noor Aden from USA.
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