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Ugandan rugby clubs back in Enterprise Cup
Ntabeni Dukisa (right) Kabras Sugar RFC prepares to offload the ball as Menengai Oilers players close in during their Enterprise Cup final match at Nakuru Showground on April 26, 2025. Kabras thrashed Oilers 33-12 to clinch the tournament's 86th edition.
What you need to know:
- Defending champions Kabras Sugar will play against the Heathens, while the Stanbic Pirates will play the KCB in Kampala.
- Menengai Oilers of Kenya, will play the Buffaloes, while the Nondescripts of Kenya will play the KCB Kobs in Nairobi.
For the first time in over two decades, the Enterprise Cup, Africa’s second-oldest rugby tournament, will return to its roots.
On March 21, four Ugandan teams — the Heathens, the Stanbic Pirates, the Buffaloes and the KCB Kobs — will compete against their Kenyan counterparts in the Enterprise Cup quarter-finals in Nairobi and Kampala.
Ugandan international tight-head prop Asuman Mugerwa will return home to lead the defending champions, Kabras Sugar, against the Heathens, while the Stanbic Pirates will play the KCB in Kampala.
Last year’s losing finalists, Menengai Oilers of Kenya, will play the Buffaloes, while the Nondescripts of Kenya will play the KCB Kobs in Nairobi.
Thomas Odundo, the chief executive officer of the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU), disclosed that they will hold a virtual meeting with their Ugandan counterparts this week to iron out a few things.
Second oldest tournament in Africa
“We want to know if the quarter-finals in Kampala and Nairobi will be played at the same venue or separately. We also want to know where the semi-finals will be played,” he said.
Now in its 96th year, the Enterprise Cup is the second oldest tournament in Africa after the Currie Cup, which was first played in South Africa in 1892.
The Currie Cup is also the world’s oldest rugby event. The Enterprise Cup is an annual tournament which was first played with clubs from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda taking part. The original cup was donated by sailors from HMS Enterprise who toured British East Africa in 1928.
However, the event has recently become a Kenyan affair, with financial constraints preventing teams from Uganda and Tanzania from participating. Withdrawal from the event last weekend was due to similar constraints.
Kampala Rugby Club is the only team from outside Kenya to have won the Enterprise Cup, having lifted the title for the first time in 1956, and completing a back-to-back feat in 1968, 1969, and 1970. Kabras Sugar are chasing their sixth consecutive title, but Nondescripts are the most successful Enterprise Cup side with 23 wins.
Ironically, Ugandan teams join at a time when the event faces challenges. For the first time since its launch in 1930, only two matches were played in the round of 16, with six teams earning their quarter-final tickets without breaking a sweat.
