There is an old adage that says: “Trust in God but lock your doors”.
Had Kenya Sevens co-captain George “Japolo” Ooro heard of this at some point in his not-to-distant past, he would not have bothered to give it a thought.
You see, he once lived in cubicles at Mathare Area Four and Kibera slums in Nairobi, where his only possession was a tattered mattress.
Even though Mathare and Kibera slums are synonymous with high crime and insecurity, Ooro never locked the door to his cubicle since there was nothing valuable to attract thieves.
As a student at KCA University and Strathmore University, before semi-professional rugby eased his financial burdens, Ooro would skip classes to work as a cement loader at Nairobi’s Industrial Area, besides selling sardines (omena) and engaging in garbage collection to make ends meet.
He survived on one meal a day -- supper, something that saw him nicknamed “001” by fellow students since he rarely had breakfast and lunch. These financial constraints almost drove him to the world of hard drugs as fellow students tried to use him as a mule.
Ooro, now a third year International Relations student at Strathmore University, has seen it all. Born on March 2, 2000 in Kapiyo village, Sakwa, Bondo, Siaya County, rugby was a God send for Ooro, who dropped a course in Criminology at Kenya College of Accountancy - University (KCA-U), to join Strathmore.
The Kenya Sevens co-captain has never failed to travel with Shujaa to international engagements since making his World Rugby Sevens Series debut in 2022, a season he describes as the best in his playing career.
Kenya Sevens Rugby co-captain George Ooro during the interview at Orchid Lounge in Nairobi on January 17, 2025.
It’s the season when he became the first rookie to win the Sportsman of the Year award at Strathmore University, was declared the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at Embu Sevens, a warm up event for the 2022 National Sevens Circuit.
He made the ‘Dream Team’ in five out of the six legs in the circuit -- Kabeberi, Christie, Dala, Prinsloo and Kakamega- and won the Christie Sevens. He also claimed the MVP accolades at Prinsloo Sevens.
“Prinsloo Sevens was my stepping stone in the sevens game. It’s where the nickname ‘Japolo’ came from. I was told I played rugby like some player from Maseno, who was called Japolo. He used to pray a lot but hit people when it came to playing rugby,” explains the prayerful Ooro.
Ooro notes that when his former Strathmore Leos coach Louis Kisia picked him for his maiden seven outing with the team, Embu Sevens, he took him through the skills of running while knocking down his opponents.
“Even though I didn’t have a massive body, I was explosive and my techniques were good. Kisia also focused on my kick offs and lineouts,” says Ooro, who turns 25 on March 2.
Ooro confesses he cried when Kenya Sevens head coach, Damian McGrath, called him for trials after his exploits in the national circuit and then named him in the final team for the 2022/2023 World Rugby Sevens Series.
When Ooro left Strathmore University for his first trials for Kenya Sevens, he recalls how Kisia taught him the basics on how to handle the pressure and some of the top players he was going to meet.
Kisia was so sure that Ooro would clash with the likes of William “Lomu” Ambaka, who was a big threat with the ball.
“He told me to run on the wing then step in and hit someone, who will come on his track. As predicted, Ambaka came charging at me and I handed him a hand-off, leaving him reeling on the ground as I went through to score,” says Ooro. “I have never believed I did that to this moment,”
Something also interesting happened for Ooro, the first born in a family of two boys and two girls.
Ooro wasn’t good at left passing so he opted to move to inside instead of passing the ball and that really endeared him to coach McGrath.
“He loved players who could side-step and move inside from the wing. He had no clue that I played that way because of my weakness in passing the ball to the right,” says Ooro.
Ooro and Dennis Abukusi were the only rookies named in the squad of 12 players for the 2022/2023 World Rugby Sevens Series.
“I was in tears…I never slept that night,” says Ooro as he prepared for his maiden flight for the Hong Kong Sevens.
At the Hong Kong Sevens, Ooro came in as second half substitute in their opening match against Uruguay.
George Ooro during a training session at the RFUEA grounds in Nairobi on January 15, 2025.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
Team physiotherapist Lameck Bogonko told him that he was named in the team because of his good defence when Ooro expressed his fears ahead of their second match against New Zealand.
Kenya dropped to the promotion and relegation play-off at the London Sevens but an injury locked Ooro, who had already accumulated 11 tries on his world series debut.
Kenya lost 12-7 to Canada in the final to be relegated for the first time since gaining core status in 2004.
Ooro did not participate in the 2024 Challenger Series but was back for the promotion and relegation play-offs in Madrid where Kenya met Germany in the quarter-final play-offs.
Ooro took the famous “Anguya Nayo” dance after he scored one of Shujaa’s six tries as they crashed Germany 33-15 to gain promotion to the World Series.
“Bogonko reminded me before the match that Kenya got relegated because he missed the decisive match. The dance was a tribute to him for the faith, trust and confidence he had in me,” says Oroo, who wasn’t shocked by the performance since they had prepared well under head coach Kelvin Wambua and his deputy Kisia.
Ooro reckons that one of the main reasons the team was relegated was discipline issues where there were unimaginable rifts between players and coaches over seniority.
“Wambua managed to turn things around and instil equality in the team where everyone, from the coach to the youngest player, is fined for breaking the rules,” says Oroo.
He said the return of SportPesa and Safaricom sponsorship has motivated the team as it has made a big difference in their bank accounts.
When the team went on strike with some players opting out of Safari Sevens last year, demanding for better contracts, Ooro was against the idea.
It is thus not surprising that he was picked alongside Samuel Asati as co-captains for the Safari Sevens last year.
The team retained the Safari title, beating Shogun from the United Kingdom 12-0 in the final in Machakos.
Ooro, however changed his mind and joined his compatriots in protesting against the new contracts. But he made a U-turn again.
“It didn’t take long before I changed his mind. I looked at where I came from and I put my pride aside to sign the contract. I reflected how I had failed Kisia, who had been on my side,” says Ooro, who also reflected on South Africa’s skipper, Siya Kolisi, his mentor.
“When I read Kolisi’s autobiography, we shared the struggles. I always think about him when I am in the dungeon, ready to take the field,’ says Ooro.
Rugby referee, the late Daniel Chibata, introduced Ooro to the game.
“I associated with rugby players at Chianda because I didn’t want to be bullied. Rugby players also had a good supply of food,” says Ooro, breaking into a wide grin.
The following year Nelson Oromo, who was more into basketball, took over from Chibata and according to Ooro, he was more of a mental coach.
Kenya Sevens Rugby co-captain George Ooro during the interview at Orchid Lounge in Nairobi on January 17, 2025.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
“Oromo taught me how to enjoy the game and do things right. That is when I developed my side step and hand-off,” says Ooro.
With a rampant Ooro, Chianda won the regional sevens championship, stunning Maseno in the semis and Ogoro Sare in the final to qualify for the nationals held in Shanzu, Mombasa in 2019.
Chianda’s target was to reach the final and qualify for the nationals but going all the way to win the regional title for the first time was phenomenal.
“I left a legacy as the first captain to bring the trophy home,” says Ooro who was among those invited to State House by President Uhuru Kenyatta for his first visit to Nairobi.
Ooro was spotted by scouts from Strathmore University during the nationals and was invited for trials in 2020. It helped that he scored a B minus in KCSE.
He was not selected as his skills were deemed below par with Kisia telling him go and work extra hard on them, then the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.
“The pandemic was a blessing in disguise and I went back to Kisumu where I trained a lot in the gym to improve my rugby skills,” says Ooro, who returned to Nairobi in 2021 to study Criminology at KCA.
He got a room in Mathare Four, and to earn an extra cent, started operating some makeshift gym nearby that brought him between Sh100 and Sh150.
“Kisia was shocked to see me in better shape and was impressed with my performance in training. He told me to come the following day for enrolment,” says Ooro, who was given a weekly allowance of Sh1,000 which was more than enough for his rent in Mathare.
He later moved to Highrise Estates where he shared a two-bedroom house with Amos Mokoro, Trevor Opondo and Daniel Kisakyamukama.
With classes running from 8 am to 5pm at Strathmore, Ooro found it challenging financially hence would skip lessons for some menial jobs in the Industrial area. He also cooked and washed stuff for fellow students to raise money for his upkeep.
“I returned for training at 4pm tired and Kisia noticed after my performance went down. I told him the truth after I moved from Highrise to rent a room at Kibera slums. Life was so hard that I almost ventured into selling hard drugs for a college mate who was in jail then,” says Ooro.
His mother came through for him, supplying him with sardines (omena), which he sold to raise some funds as Kisia also put him into sevens team training that saw his breakfast sorted out.
“I never missed morning training as I retuned to living in Highrise after being assured of at least Sh5,000 every weekend,” says Ooro.
He says that Kenya Sevens has adopted a new culture with Kisia emphasising on accountability and ownership.
“It’s is our team and every individual is responsible. We back each other no matter the decision, wrong or right,” says Ooro.
Watch out for the hard running, hard hitting, explosive and expressive “Japolo” Ooro. A joy to watch.
