KCB Rugby team’s lock Elvis Olukusi charges past Homeboyz Tom Maina on December 10, 2022, during their Kenya Cup match at KCB Sports Club in Ruaraka, Nairobi.
When the history of Kenya’s rugby sevens is written, KCB Rugby Club wants to feature prominently in it.
And the club's skipper Elvis Olukusi wants to be part of the narrative that will cement the bankers’ history-making moments.
Since the SportPesa National Sevens Circuit was expanded to six legs in 2016, no club has ever won all six legs, with most winning four or fewer on their way to clinching the series.
Last season, KCB became one of the clubs to have won four legs, having also reached the finals in the other two.
They edged out Kabras Sugar 12–7 to win the Dala Sevens title, beat the Daystar University Falcons 20–10 to win the Kabeberi Sevens, and defeated the Menengai Oilers 17–5 to win the Christies. A narrow 15-14 victory against Strathmore Leos earned them the Driftwoods title.
KCB reached the finals at the Embu and Prinsloo Sevens tournaments, but lost to Strathmore University Leos 31-21 and 24-7 respectively.
Olukusi and his team have fully embraced their head coach, Andrew Amonde’s, philosophy and plan for this season, which is to make history by winning all six legs.
KCB Rugby team’s lock Elvis Olukusi charges past Homeboyz Tom Maina on December 10, 2022, during their Kenya Cup match at KCB Sports Club in Ruaraka, Nairobi.
Last weekend, Olukusi staged a man-of-the-match performance to lead KCB to a 19-12 victory against Kabras Sugar and secure their first Prinsloo Sevens title in nine years at the Nakuru Athletic Club.
This weekend, the bankers will take their quest to the Dala Sevens, where they will be hoping to defend their title and secure their seventh victory at the lakeside city of Kisumu. They first won the Dala Sevens in 2004.
“Our plan this year is to win all six tournaments, and we have the quality players to do it. We just need to minimise mistakes and treat every match like a final,” said Olukusi, noting the team has fully embraced Amonde’s approach.
“Every player knows their duty and what it will take to achieve these milestones,” said Olukusi, the 26-year-old who joined KCB from Nakuru Rugby Club in 2021.
"While we have set our targets, the technical bench has told us to enjoy the season without feeling under pressure," said Olukusi, who attributes his success to hard work, discipline, and staying focused.
He ditched handball for rugby in 2016 while in Form Three at Handow Secondary School in Lugari, Kakamega County, influenced by coach Ferdinand Sudu Kumwela, who recognised his potential.
After completing school in 2017, Olukusi stayed at home for one year before Kenya Western Bulls scouted him through Kumwela, only for Nakuru to sign him from the western Kenyan team in 2020.
Olukusi’s rugby talent and expertise made him one of the most sought-after second-row players, and the Kenya Cup champions KCB lured him to their Ruaraka Sports Club in 2021.
"Rugby now is a calling for me, not just a game," said Olukusi, who was drafted into the Kenya Simbas side for the first time in March 2023 by head coach Jérôme Paarwater for the Currie Cup in South Africa.
Following his time with the Kenya Simbas, Olukusi continued to enjoy good fortune when he was invited to join the Kenya Sevens training camp, where he captained the second team, the Morans, to fifth place at the 2023 Safari Sevens in Nairobi.
His astute performance saw him drafted into the Kenya Sevens team for the 2024 World Rugby Challenger Series, in which he competed in the second leg in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Kenya Sevens finished second in the Challenger Series, earning them a place in the World Rugby Sevens Series for the 2024/25 season.
Olukusi was part of the KCB team that won the SportPesa National Sevens Circuit in both 2023 and 2025.
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