NAIROBI, Kenya Jul 15 – A new tussle is looming at the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) after the Kenya Rugby Referee Association (KRRA) cried foul over the appointment of officials ahead of the 2025 National Sevens Circuit slated to kick off on the weekend of July 25-26.
This follows the announcement by the KRU director of rugby and pathways manager, Paul Odera, in a letter dated July 8, stating that the appointment of referees in the upcoming sevens circuit will be done directly by the Union.
“The appointment of match officials for the National Sevens Circuit in 2025 will be done directly through the Kenyan Rugby Union this year. This is in line with regulation 12; 12.1; Appointments, 12.1.1; Referees and Assistant Referees (a) KRU reserves the right to directly (or through the Referee Society as KRU may in its absolute discretion to decide) Appoint Referees and/or Assistant Referees to any match played in Kenya,” Odera wrote.
The letter went on, “Any person who may wish to be considered as match officials for the 2025 National Sevens Circuit should write to the competitions department to inform the KRU of their availability.”
However, this has been dismissed by the Kenya Rugby Referee Association (KRRA), claiming that it undermines the role of the body and further advised all its members not to accept any such individual invitations or applications until the Union is ready to engage them formally and transparently.
“This move directly undermines our role as the Rugby Referee Association, which stands as a vital pillar of the game, ensuring fairness, consistency, proper training, and accountability in officiating, especially in the appointments of referees,” The KRRA Governing Council wrote in a notice to all its members.
It continued, “After thorough consultation with the KRRA Governing Council, we unanimously agreed that this approach contravenes our core values and structure. It’s clearly a divide and rule tactic aimed at weakening the association we have built over the years.
The KRRA further claimed that the Union is yet to resolve longstanding issues, including unpaid funds amounting to millions of shillings owed to the association.
With both bodies standing their ground, the dispute raises uncertainty over how officiating at the 7s circuit will be handled.
