Rugby union, clubs feud over players

• Mwamba in trouble with the Union over refusal to release Kayange and Injera for sponsorship launch

The controversy that has been brewing between rugby clubs and the Kenya Rugby Football Union (KRFU) over the release of players for national duties finally exploded on Thursday.

While only Mwamba Rugby Football Club came out strongly to protest over what they termed “bullying” by the KRFU, other clubs have been grumbling silently over the issue.

Top clubs taking part in the ongoing Western Union National Sevens Circuit, including Mwamba and Kenya Harlequin, had questioned the union’s move to bar the national sevens team players from the Circuit.

Mwamba coach, Edward Rombo, alleged on Thursday that the union had resorted to punishing Mwamba by withdrawing Sh30,000 due to the club for hosting the Kabeberi Sevens planned for December 5-6.

This is after the club refused to grant the national team skipper, Humphrey Kayange and his brother Collins Injera, permission to attend the launch of the Kenya Airways sponsorship deal for the national sevens and 15s teams respectively.

Instead, Mwamba opted to take the two along for the Hima 10s held early this month in Uganda. The Kenya Airways launch was held on November 7; Rombo said his team would have missed the crucial Day One matches.

Different scripts

However, top officials from the union seemed to be reading from different scripts over the issue, with the secretary general, Frank Sabwa and general manager, Auka Gacheo, giving varying comments.

Sabwa said Mwamba have been summoned to a disciplinary committee hearing on Monday to answer charges of alleged misconduct. On the other hand, Gacheo said there seems to have been a communication breakdown between the two parties and the aim of the in-house session on Monday is to sort out the issue.

Rombo said the team had been preparing for many months with the intention of winning Hima 10s so they could not have released players without a valid 14-day notice.

He added that the union only got in touch with them on the eve of departure for Kampala.

Questioning what the Western Union sponsorship had to do with the issues arising from the Hima 10s, Rombo said the union secretary general, who visited their training grounds, failed to convince the players to remain behind for the launch.

“Instead, the union has now resorted to strong-arm tactics and threats,” Rombo said.

IRB rules stipulate that when the union wants players for any reason, it must notify the club in writing with a 14-day notice period.

“None of this was done. Instead Sabwa came to the club during our last training session, a day before we left, and tried to convince us that they would fly the players to Uganda on Saturday afternoon, which meant they would have missed the first day’s action,” said Rombo.