Kitui Sevens postponed as focus shifts to Nakuru 10s

Organizers of this year’s Kitui  Rugby Seven Series on Thursday postponed the tournament citing bad weather and inadequate preparations.

This leave rugby fans with the annual Top Fry Great Rift 10-a-side as the main fixture over the Easter holidays.

The tournament will be played at the Nakuru Athletic Club from today until Sunday.

The Kitui planners were racing against time to deliver a hitch-free tournament that was supposed to kick off Friday and run through the Easter weekend.

However, heavy rains pounding the regions disrupted the last minute preparations casting a shadow over the tournament billed as “the biggest sporting event to be staged in Kitui County since independence.”

This forced Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu to announce pushing back of the event for two months to give organizers and sponsors sufficient time to prepare and to allow for convenient weather.

“The weather has been very disruptive in terms of crucial preparations. We’ve, therefore, decide to reschedule the tournament until all the necessary arrangements are in place,” Ngilu told journalists after touring the Ithookwe ASK Show grounds which will host the games.

The Governor announced the event will be held between June 1 and 3, to coincide with Madaraka Day national celebrations.

She assured merchants and exhibitors including corporates and fast foods outlets, who had hoped to vend their goods and services at the venue, of her administration’s commitment to deliver a well-organized event.

Ngilu pledged to market the event aggressively to achieve the highest public and urged the business community to prepare for a better and bigger event.

When Nation Sport visited the venue Thursday, major works like refurbishments of changing rooms, marking the pitch, water and electricity connections, had been completed.

The two-day Kitui Sevens was scheduled to end on Sunday and feature 16 teams in the play-offs.