Kenya Shujaa's Nygel Amaitsa plays at the Perth Sevens in Australia, on January 24, 2025.
The glassy skyscrapers, bubbly beaches and lush lawns of Perth, Australia, are probably still ringing from the unforgettable chants of Kenyans who showed up in their hundreds to cheer Kenya’s sevens rugby team last weekend from January 24-26.
Everybody left the HBF Park Stadium after being bombarded with more than enough Kenyan chants. This is because fans, most of them clad in replica jerseys and waving the Kenyan flag, made their presence felt.
“They just took over,” said one fan in a widely circulated video as he explained why Kenya had the best fans in the tournament.
Even the Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency could not help but share the video on its social media outlets. Another of the speakers in the video says: “They’ve got the most numbers here this year.”
The fans, full of exuberance, cheered every tackle; roared on every try, and sang and chanted continuously. Some even took the now very Kenyan tradition of shouting “Ruto must go”, a slogan that has been chanted in various local events to call for better governance from President William Ruto’s administration.
Collaboration
Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) Chairman Sasha Mutai told Nation.Africa that the massive action of the fans was due to joint efforts with partners in Australia, chiefly through Mr Stephen Kuria — the chairman of the Kenya-Australia Chamber of Commerce.
“The Kenyans turned up. It was a very good display,” Mr Mutai said.
“It was the first time we were doing something really formal like that, so we would like that to be on every (circuit),” he added.
Mr Kuria, who first went to Australia in the 1980s through his participation in sports, told Nation Africa that the plan started a year ago when Kenyan fans who attended the rugby sevens events found them boring without their country taking part.
When the Kenyan team bounced back to the World Rugby Sevens series, Mr Kuria and KRU officials entered a working agreement for mobilising fans and breathing life into the event.
Benson Salem Adoyo plays at the first march for Kenya at the Perth Sevens in Australia, on January 24, 2025.
The World Rugby Sevens agreed to have a section of the stadium for Kenyans – 200 seats in total – but tickets had to be bought for the booking to happen.
Mr Kuria says he bought 100 tickets in cash while he reserved the other 100. The tickets were later resold to the Kenyan community, and they sold out at some point.
“I purchased those tickets so that I could direct people to one area, which we were able to choose,” said Mr Kuria, who runs various businesses in Australia with interests in mining, energy, and tourism.
From there, the mobilising started, and he said it was not difficult for the idea to catch on because there are many Kenyan rugby fans Down Under.
“We also had support from Kenya’s High Commissioner to Australia in Canberra,” said Mr Kuria, who is based in Perth.
Mr Kuria also secured the services of DJ Pierra Makena, who travelled from Kenya to perform at the stadium. Videos from Perth showed an excited DJ Pierra getting the Kenyans all pumped up with Kenyan hits inside the stadium.
“We also positioned some drummers and some cheerleaders within the Kenyan corner. We are able to make sure that we are choreographed on what we’re singing and the support for Kenya,” Mr Kuria noted. “It was very impressive. The year before, when Kenya was not there, the stadium was dead.”
Kenya over Uruguay 19–5 in a men's Pool C match at the 2025 HSBC SVNS Perth at HBF Park on January 25, 2025, in Perth, Australia. Patrick Odongo lands for a try.
Painted town red
Besides the stadium appearance, the party extended to recreational facilities in Perth over that weekend.
“We organised night events to ensure that all Kenyans have travelled all the way from the US, New Zealand, UK, and other places had somewhere they could go at night,” said Mr Kuria.
Each fan paid at least 110 Australian dollars (Sh8,846) to secure a three-day ticket.
Kenya’s Shujaa finished 10th, against their target of finishing in the top eight.
In matches played on Friday, Kenya lost to New Zealand 29-14 and were later that day overpowered by Fiji 21-14.
On Saturday, Kenya beat Uruguay 19-5 then triumphed over the USA 26-21 in the 9th place semi-final.
On Sunday, in the 9th place play-off, Kenya lost 12-19 to New Zealand.
The overall winner in the men’s category was Argentina, who beat hosts Australia 41-5 in the final on Sunday.
Regarding the results of the Kenyan team, Mr Kuria said: “We were proud of the team. They really did well.”
The Shujaa team appreciated the energised presence of Kenyan fans. They posted on X: “Words cannot express our appreciation. You made Perth truly remarkable.”
“Show us a better stand at the (Perth Sevens). We’ll wait,” they later tweeted.
Mr Mutai, the KRU chairman, said the spectacle at Perth will encourage the rugby union to bring more sponsors on board and for the Shujaa to work towards achieving good results.
“We are very happy,” said Mr Mutai.
He added: “And of course now, with the Kenyan fans out there, we want to bring the Kenyan fans here back to the stadiums, and that is happening slowly. We want to get Safari Sevens back to where it was, before it was overtaken by corruption — which is a fact, and that is why the sponsors left. So, we want to bring the Kenyan fans back so that we give value to our partners. In 2013, Safari Sevens had over 48,000 people at Kasarani. So, rugby can bring those kinds of numbers. That’s what we’re doing. We’re showing that it’s coming back.”
By playing Kenyan music and showing up to cheer their team, Mr Mutai said, the Kenyans abroad are marketing the country.
“We’re exposing Kenyan culture to the rest of the world. So, these players and our fans are our Kenyan ambassadors,” he said.
Now, there is talk of replicating the Perth show in other places that the Kenyan team will be playing in the sevens circuit. The world better readies its ears.
