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KCB Rugby head coach fired with a month left on contract
Lions coach and ex-international Oliver Mang’eni gives a pep talk at halftime during their Super Series preliminary match against Rhinos RFUEA ground, Nairobi on May 4.
With a month left on his contract, KCB Rugby have fired their head coach, Oliver Mang’eni.
The club’s management has appointed former Kenya Simbas and Sevens player Dennis 'Ironman' Mwanja as the new coach.
According to a statement released by the club, the changes will take effect from Monday and will also see Darwin Mukidza, the former Kenya Simbas utility back and backs coach, leave the club.
The club's team manager, Priscilla Amollo Ong’ombe, has also been relieved of her duties as part of the club's plan to rejuvenate ahead of the 2025 National Sevens Circuit, which starts in July.
Mang’eni was appointed KCB coach in August last year, succeeding Curtis Olago who had managed the club for 13 years and won five Kenya Cup titles with them.
KCB has not won the Kenya Cup or the Enterprise Cup since 2021, and failed to reach the finals of both championships last season.
KCB lost 25-21 to Kabras Sugar in the Enterprise Cup semi-final, with the Sugar Men going on to clinch their fifth consecutive title by beating Menengai Oilers 33-12 in Nakuru on April 26.
Two weeks earlier, KCB and Menengai Oilers had met in the Kenya Cup final, where the sugar men prevailed 27–26 in Kakamega. The Oilers had previously stopped KCB in the semi-finals with a 31-8 victory.
“After productive discussions with the coaching team, we have made a painful but aligned decision to make changes in the tech bench,” said club chairman James Mugo, adding that they are looking forward to rebuilding the team and getting back to winning ways.
“The club seeks to continue contributing positively to the game of rugby in Kenya and sustain its position as a top tier playing club,” said Mugo, noting that KCB remains a formidable force in the local rugby scene.
Mugo emphasised that their ambition is to reclaim the Kenya Cup and Enterprise Cup titles, and to continue supplying players to the national team.
"With that in mind, we must ensure that we lay the right foundation for a successful future," he said.
The KCB Sevens campaign will be bolstered by the return of Kenyan internationals Samuel Asati, Floyd Wabwire, Festus Shiasi and Vincent Onyala, who will bring valuable experience from their recent stint with the Kenya Sevens team.