Players pay dearly as Nakuru Athletics Club falls silent

Nakuru Athletics Club (NAC) located along Oginga Odinga Road in Nakuru town is the home ground of Nakuru Rugby Football Club popularly known as “Wanyore.”

At this time of the year, the popular club that is regarded as the only true home of rugby outside Nairobi, is normally a beehive of activity.

It is a wonderful place to visit. You would most likely bump into some of the noisiest rugby fans in the cosmopolitan town.

However, visiting the club for the first time at this time you would be forgiven for thinking that it is a neglected grazing field with overgrown grass, thanks to coronavirus pandemic which has halted rugby activities at the club.

“Nothing is going on here. Nothing. There is no activity at the club. We are slashing the overgrown grass to keep the pitch in good condition,” said Edward Moseti, Nakuru RFC Director of Rugby.

“We are putting fertiliser on the ground and taking advantage of the heavy rains currently pounding Nakuru to ensure the pitch is well maintained ahead of the next season,” Moseti, who is also the club secretary, told Nation Sport.

He said the club released some of the players who are not based in Nakuru moments after the government announced restrictions on movement to stop the spread of the deadly virus that has paralysed sports globally.

“Following the cancellation of the season, we are waiting for communication from the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) before activities can resume because before any rugby game is played, there must be a conditioning period of eight weeks for players to be in shape,” explained Moseti.

He added: “Rugby is a full contact game and players have taken a break of more than six weeks now and it means none of our players can pass any physical fitness test at the moment.”

He said even if the current restrictions are lifted, the players will be required to be out of action for eight weeks to test their stamina before plunging into real action.

“After passing the fitness test, we will still need some two or three months of preparations before we can resume any competitive action and that means if we are lucky to contain coronavirus pandemic this month, the earliest rugby could bounce back is probably in July,” added Moseti.

The National Sevens Circuit was due to kick off in July, and “Wanyore” were looking forward to return to their winning ways.

“We just hope this Covid-19 disease will be contained as our players were ready for a fruitful season,” said Moseti.

The first casualty of the planned activities at Nakuru Athletics Club this year was the 30th edition of the Great Rift 10-a-side rugby extravaganza which was supposed to climax with the Easter holiday.

“I have never missed a single edition of the Great Rift 10-a-side rugby tournament and this year I am yet to come to terms with its cancellation. This is a very sad rugby season for me,” says avid rugby fan Harry Mbote who is based in Nakuru.

Moseti said before Covid-19, the club was progressing well with the preparations of the Great Rift 10-a-side tournament.

“Our seasonal sponsors such as East Africa Breweries Limited and our main sponsors Menengai Refineries were on top of things and were planning for a massive Easter weekend full of rugby action.”

The official said owing to Covid-19 disease, the club has lost a lot of revenue from sponsors and rugby fans as well as income from other stakeholders who jam the club on Easter weekends.

The women’s 10–a-side rugby tournament has also been badly affected as it normally reaches its climax during the Great Rift 10-a-side tournament.

“The women’s rugby 10-a-side competition had played two legs and the players were looking forward to a third leg before winding up in Nakuru but that has also been shattered,” said Moseti.

Moseti said that Nakuru was supposed to host an international 15s match in July between Kenya and Zimbabwe.

“The international match was slated for July 18 but as things are now, the match has been cancelled,” said the official.

Another annual event that has been suspended is the Prinsloo Sevens which was scheduled to mark the end of the National Sevens Circuit. It was set to be played in September.

The club was also planned to host two age-group tournaments in June on Madaraka Day dubbed the Eric Situma tournament and on Mashujaa Day.

The Club was also planning to host an age-group East and Central Africa league featuring teams from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Malawi on August 22.

Last year, the tournament was held in Jinja in Uganda and Kenya was planning to host it at the club located on the scenic Rift Valley.

Six of the players from Nakuru RFC were training with Under-19 and Under--20 national teams and were hoping to make their maiden appearance on the international stage.

The players include John Okoth, Thomas Okeyo, Monate Akuei, Samuel Mwaura and Brian Kimani.

Two of the club’s players, namely Oscar Ouma and Nelson Oyoo, play for Kenya Sevens team (Shujaa) while Grace Adhiambo, Vivian Akumu and Angeline Apiyo play for Kenya Lioness Sevens team.

Nakuru’s flag bearers in Kenya 15s women’s team are Lorraine Akoth and Freshia Awino.

About 90 percent of the Nakuru RFC players are below 23 because senior players have been exiting the stage due to age factor.

The club’s Annual General Meeting planned for May remains uncertain.