Kenya Lionesses head coach Simon Odongo has called on Kenyan fans to turn out in large numbers and support the national women's sevens team as they pursue the African title at the 2026 Rugby Africa Women's Sevens Championship in Nairobi this weekend.
Odongo wants the home crowd to play an active role in pushing the Lionesses towards victory when the two-day tournament gets underway at the RFUEA Grounds on Saturday, November 7.
Kenya are targeting the continental crown and a return to the World Rugby HSBC SVNS 3 competition, making the championship a crucial opportunity for the team.
“I urge all the fans to come and support us. Come and be the extra player and push us to win gold,” Odongo said ahead of the tournament.
The Lionesses will face 10 other African nations in the November 7–8 competition, with the best-placed team outside South Africa securing the continent's qualification slot for HSBC SVNS 3. South Africa are already competing in a higher division and are therefore ineligible for the qualification place.
Odongo has made it clear that Kenya's ambition goes beyond defeating the defending champions, insisting that the team must approach every opponent with the same determination.
“We want to start well this time unlike last year. Our objective is to win gold this weekend. It is not about beating South Africa alone because women’s rugby is growing. Our immediate task is to beat Ghana before we think of South Africa,” he said.
Kenya have been drawn in Pool B alongside Ghana and Tunisia. They will begin their campaign against Ghana at 1:34pm on Saturday before taking on Tunisia at 4:40pm.
The hosts head into the championship with confidence after successfully defending their Safari Sevens title last month. The Lionesses defeated Uganda's Lady Cranes 22-5 in the final at Nyayo National Stadium on October 11, giving them an important boost ahead of the continental assignment.
However, they will be seeking to improve on last year's Africa Women's Sevens campaign, when they lost 22-0 to South Africa in the final on home soil, settling for second place.
South Africa return as defending champions and will headline Pool A alongside Zambia, Zimbabwe and Rwanda, while Uganda, Madagascar, Mauritius and Burkina Faso make up Pool C.
The championship comes at an important stage in Kenya's international sevens ambitions after the Lionesses dropped to the third tier of the World Rugby competition structure.
Winning the African title would give Kenya the opportunity to compete at HSBC SVNS 3 in Dubai from November 27–29, where teams will battle for promotion to the second division.
With the continental crown and a return to the international qualification pathway at stake, the Lionesses will be looking to turn their recent preparations into a successful home campaign.
