TelkomKenya sponsors national rugby team

Kenya’s seven-a-side rugby team on Thursday received a timely Sh4 million sponsorship from TelkomKenya just three days before they leave for Dubai to play in the fifth Sevens Rugby World Cup that starts on March 5 in the emirates.

TelkomKenya will be the team’s shorts sponsors for a year, their first rugby sponsorship. The Kenyan rugby team currently has the Virgin Atlantic airline as shirt sponsors on a 100,000 pounds-per-season (Sh11.3 million) renewable deal that runs out in June.

“It (TelkomKenya’s) is a timely injection which has come when we were in dire need,” Richard Omwela, the freshly re-elected Kenya Rugby Football Union chairman.

The sponsorship is a big boost to the team as they train their sights on the Dubai World Cup and also seek to continue their bid for a good run in the remaining four tournaments of the International Rugby Board Sevens World Series.

Dominique Saint-Jean, TelkomKenya’s chief executive officer, handed over the sponsorship cheque to Omwela at the company’s head office in Nairobi on Thursday.

“This is one of the most successful sports teams in Kenya with three consecutive World Cup appearances. The progress is visible to all with the recent upset of New Zealand and South Africa in San Diego and Wellington,” the TelkomKenya boss noted.

He singled out top performers Collins Injera, Lavin Asego and Victor Oduor for praise, noting they could only achieve success through team effort. The players and technical bench had an opportunity to interact with TelkomKenya staff members and tour the company’s new offices.

“This team has the individual brilliance perfectly blended in the collective effort of the team with Oduor and Humphrey Kayange as solid as ever,” Saint-Jean an avid follower of rugby, added.

Omwela urged TelkomKenya to strike a long partnership with the KRFU and said opportunity for sponsorship of the team was not closed.

Benjamin Ayimba, the team’s head coach, joked that the KRFU would be broke after paying bonuses when Kenya wins the World Cup in Dubai. “It is now very urgent that we win the World Cup Sevens,” Ayimba stated.

Kayange agreed with his coach and termed the sponsorship as a big morale booster. “We are now more than read to go out there and face the big boys,” Kayange said.

Of the 12 players named on Wednesday to do duty for Kenya in Dubai, only Sidney Ashioya will be returning to the World Cup as a player. Previous World Cup stars, Oscar Osir, Ayimba and Felix Ochieng, have since joined the team’s technical bench.

Other players who were in Kenya’s 2005 World Cup squad were Leslie Mango, Peter Abuoga, Edwin Shimenga, Victor Sudi, Lucas Onyango, Newton Ong’alo, Allan Makaka and Peter Ocholla.