At just 18 years old, Kinale Girls High School breakout star Catherine Elizabeth is ready to spark a new era for Kenyan rugby as she makes her senior debut for the Kenya Lionesses at this weekend’s Women’s Africa Sevens.
Named by head coach Simon Odongo as the vital cog to fix the team’s try-scoring struggles, the dazzling Kenya Harlequin winger and reigning 2026 National Sevens Circuit top try scorer enters the tournament carrying the dreams of a nation.
With the tournament at RFUEA ground doubling as a crucial pathway back to the global stage, Elizabeth’s versatility arrives at the perfect moment to help the Lionesses turn continental pressure into gold.
The teenager can now dare dream big with greatness awaiting her after she was named in Kenya Lionesses team for the continental assignment.
Elizabeth is one of the many budding talents to emerge from Kinale Girls. She has grown through the ranks from the Rising Lionesses to the Junior Lionesses, who featured at the 2024 Safari Sevens.
The former high school sprinter and football goalkeeper says her dream is to earn a place in the Kenya Lionesses team, spurring them on to win promotion to World Rugby Division I next year and secure a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Elizabeth, a winger for the Kenya Harlequins, reckons that the Kenya Rising Lionesses’ gold medal victory in girls’ seven-a-side rugby at the Dakar Youth Olympic Games has inspired her and her teammates to aim higher this weekend.
On Tuesday, Rising Lionesses stunned Australia 17-12 in extra time to win gold in girls’ rugby, making history as the first Kenyan team to win an Olympic gold medal.
“This is the start of my journey to the next level in rugby, and I want to thank the national team coaches for believing in my talent and ability,” said Elizabeth, who was named the 2026 National Sevens Circuit top try scorer with 38 tries.
National Women’s Rugby team ‘Lionesses’ player Catherine Elizabeth is tackled by teammate Judith Auma during a training session at RFUEA grounds on October 30 ahead of the 2026 Africa Women’s Sevens Cup.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation
She was an athletics sprinter at Kayieye Primary School, representing the school at national level in the 100m and 200m, before joining Olympic High School in Kibera, Nairobi, in 2021, where she also played as a goalkeeper.
“Athletics came easily to me as I was used to sprinting when asked to fetch things, but I became fascinated with goalkeeping after watching my uncle play at school,” said Elizabeth, who played for Olympic Primary School until Form Three in 2024, when Dagoretti Mixed High School offered her a football scholarship.
Then, one day, her football coach, Joseph Orao Odhiambo, who had noticed her agility and speed, suggested she try rugby.
Elizabeth was in the first team at Dagoretti Mixed High School that won the Nairobi Secondary Schools regional final, beating Karen C Girls Secondary 15–10 to reach the national finals, where Kinale Girls lost 10–5 to St Joseph’s Girls Kitale in the final.
Elizabeth earned her place in the Kenya Cubs team for the 2024 Safari Sevens, but it was Kinale Girls coach Allan Bush who had spotted her rugby talent and drawn her to his school in 2025.
“It was Bush who showed me the real world of rugby and taught me proper rugby skills,” said Elizabeth, who went on to lead Kinale to the National Secondary School Rugby Sevens title by beating St Joseph’s Girls Kitale 17-5 in the final in 2025.
“Elizabeth is a gem... she just needs a little pressure to become a glittering diamond,” said Kenya Lionesses coach Simon Odongo, who selected her into his 12-player squad for the continental event.
Odongo said that Elizabeth deserved her place in the squad, having emerged as the top try scorer in the 2026 National Sevens Circuit.
“She is versatile, plays in different positions, and knows how to get through defenders to the try line. We struggled to score tries, but she is the answer,” he said.
National Women’s Rugby team ‘Lionesses’ player Catherine Elizabeth during a training session at RFUEA grounds on October 30 ahead of the 2026 Africa Women’s Sevens Cup.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation
Judith Auma, who has had an on-and-off relationship with the team for two years due to a knee injury, and Yvette Okech, who has recovered from knee ligament surgery, are returning to the team.
Odongo said that the gold medal victory by the Kenya Rising Lionesses in Senegal has put pressure on the Kenya Lionesses.
“As they say, pressure creates diamonds, so we hope it will bring us gold at the Africa Cup on Sunday,” said Odongo, who announced his team at the launch of the Women’s Africa Sevens at Talanta Plaza yesterday.
Odongo said that it was heartbreaking, but that hard lessons had been learnt after they failed to retain their place in World Rugby Division II. This performance saw them drop to the continental qualifier for World Rugby Division III.
The Women’s Africa Sevens will double as the qualifier for World Rugby Division III, which will be held concurrently with the Dubai Sevens from November 27 to 29 in the UEA.
Pool B comprises Uganda, Tunisia, Ghana and Egypt, while Pool A comprises South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Rwanda. Pool C comprises Uganda, Madagascar, Mauritius and Burkina Faso.
