Kenya’s Shujaa and Lionesses are eager to put on a show for the world when the Nairobi Sevens, the opening leg of the World Rugby Sevens Division II championships, goes down in Nairobi on Valentine’s Day weekend.
Gabriel “Gabby” Ayimba, son of the legendary sevens coach Benjamin Ayimba, and Janet Okello, said their teams have prepared well to win the Nairobi Sevens and Division series, and ease through to the next stage.
Tournament director, Thomas Odundo, disclosed that plans to host the world event are complete with the match venue, the iconic Nyayo National Stadium, accommodation, training venue and transportation of teams in place and pristine state.
Odundo confirmed that all tickets have been sold out and that fans without tickets shouldn’t bother coming to the match venue, as no tickets will be sold at the gate.
“The team is in buoyant mood, ready to deliver and return to the World Series,” said Gabby, who is yet to play at the World Rugby Sevens Series, now World Rugby Sevens Division I.
Gabby, the Strathmore University Leos forward, is eager to surpass his late father’s achievement by winning more than two events at the World Sevens Series.
Kenya's Janet Okello scores a try during the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series at the Estadio Santa Laura in Santiago, Chile on August 13, 2022.
Photo credit: Pool
“I have not come close to my father’s accomplishment. I didn’t have any choice but to play rugby in high school. My biggest target now is to win one of the circuits given the opportunity,” said Gabby, who made his debut for Kenya during the 2024 Safari Sevens in Machakos.
“I am not only aiming to equal but beat my father’s legacy by winning two or more legs in the circuit,” said Gabby.
Ayimba, as Kenya Sevens head coach, made history when he guided the team to its first-ever victory in the World Rugby Sevens Series, beating Fiji 30-7 to lift the Singapore Sevens title in 2016. Ayimba passed on in 2021 after a battle with cerebral malaria.
Gabby is confident that Kenya Sevens will win all legs in the HSBC SVNS Division 2, finish at the top of the standings, and qualify for the 2026/2027 Division I series.
“We qualified, but a change of format at the last minute really demoralised the team. But we have kept our heads high,” said Gabby.
“This is special, and a dream come true for me to play a world event at home,” said Okello, who is based in Japan.
“People watched us on television when we played away, but now we shall be live at home.”
“My childhood dream was to play for the national team, compete in the Olympics and play professional rugby. I have played in two Olympic Games – the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – and I currently play professional rugby in Japan. Now, I want to retire after participating in the World Series and winning some legs,” says Okello.
Kenya Shujaa's Kevin Wekesa take on a French Renegade player during the Safari Sevens at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on October 11, 2025.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
She said it is Sevens rugby that has enabled her to play alongside her role models, New Zealand captain Sarah Hirini and legendary player Portia Woodman, in the Japanese Women’s Rugby League.
She made history in 2022 when she joined Yokkaichi City-based MIE Pearls Women’s Rugby Football Club, becoming the first Kenyan to play in the Japanese league.
The Japanese team offered her a one-year contract, which was renewed in February 2023. It was at the Pearls that she played alongside Hirini, who captained New Zealand to victory in the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Lionesses winger then switched from the Pearls to the Nagato Blue Angels, joining Woodman in steering the team to victory in the 2025 Japanese League.
“Nagato have now won the league for four years in a row,” said Okello.
She added, “Playing alongside Woodman was like a dream come true for me. I have always loved her style of play.”
Okello said that she is likely to switch clubs again in Japan. Woodman was in New Zealand’s winning team at the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I have achieved what I wanted by meeting Hirini and Woodman. All that remains for me is to enjoy the game, and the icing on the cake would be to play at the World Series. It’s going to happen soon,” said Okello, adding that she still has a few more years of playing ahead of her and that she hopes to lead the Lionesses to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
A total of 12 teams, six in men and six in women, will battle out for glory on the Valentine's Day weekend. The men’s Division II has Kenya, the United States of America (USA), Uruguay, Germany, Canada and Belgium, while the women’s Division II has Kenya, Brazil, China, Spain, South Africa and Argentina.
After Nairobi Sevens, the series will head to South America for a back-to-back championship with Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay, staging the second leg on March 21 to 22, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, hosting the last on March 28 to 29.
Top four teams after the three-legged men and women’s championships will join the eight teams from the World Rugby Sevens Division I in the World Championship Series that will feature three events.
They are Hong Kong (April 17-19), Valladolid-Spain (May 29-31) and Bordeaux-France (June 5-7).
The winners will be crowned World Series champions, with the four teams that will finish at the bottom being relegated to Division II. The remaining eight will stay for the 2026/2027 World Rugby Division I Series.
“It’s a good feeling, and we are extremely anxious. We want to reproduce what we have watched outside now that the event is home. It’s big for us, and we are proud to be given the opportunity,” said Odundo.
Odundo noted that they didn’t expect to sell all the tickets with two weeks to go. “It was extremely quick, having hit halfway only on Wednesday last week.
“We have never hit half capacity when we hosted events here, so that is what we thought we would be doing this week, trying to fill the second half,” said Odundo, adding that from the available 15,000 seats, Sports Kenya gave them 13,500 per day. “We have sold between 11,000 and 11,500 per day, with the rest going to our partners and sponsors.
