Kenya 7s suffer early setback in Uruguay
By Kenneth Mwenda, March 21, 2026Kenya’s national sevens teams opened their HSBC SVNS 2 second leg campaign in Montevideo, Uruguay, with defeats on Saturday, March 21, 2026, in matches played at Estadio Charrúa.
Shujaa lost 14-10 to the United States after surrendering an early lead, while the Kenya Lionesses went down 19-5 to China in the women’s competition.
Shujaa made a bright start and took control within the opening minutes. John Okoth crossed over barely a minute after kick-off, but Nygel Amaitsa missed the conversion. Vincent Onyala added a second try three minutes later, again unconverted, as Kenya moved 10-0 ahead.
However, the USA responded quickly. David Still pulled one back, with Will Chevalier converting to cut the deficit. Momentum shifted before the break when Orrin Bizer added another try, and Chevalier’s second conversion gave the Americans a 14-10 half-time lead.
Both sides made changes in the second half, but neither managed to score again as the USA held on for victory. The result followed their earlier win over Kenya in Nairobi, where they ended Shujaa’s 27-match unbeaten run.
Shujaa now turn their attention to their next pool match against Canada later on Saturday evening, March 21, 2026.
Lionesses let lead slip
In the women’s draw, the Lionesses also started well but failed to hold their advantage. Edith Nariaka scored Kenya’s only try in the ninth minute, though Sinaida Nyachio missed the conversion.
China responded two minutes later through Gao Xiaoyang, with Hua Beibei adding the extras to give them a 7-5 lead. They extended their advantage early in the second half when Le Zhang crossed over, again converted by Beibei.
Chen Chan added a late try to seal a 19-5 win for China and leave Kenya chasing in the group.
The Lionesses now face Argentina in their next fixture, knowing they must improve to keep their hopes alive.
Before the tour, captain Sheila Chajira had set the target for the team, saying:
“Our focus now shifts to Uruguay and Brazil, where we aim to win our matches and secure qualification for Division One,” she said.
Both Kenyan sides came into the South American leg seeking better results after the opening round in Nairobi, where Shujaa finished third and the Lionesses placed fifth.
The Montevideo leg runs from March 21–22, with the final round set for São Paulo the following weekend.