NAIROBI, Kenya, May 8, 2026 – After 11 matchweeks of a bruising battle, the quest for Kenya Cup glory comes down to two teams that are no strangers to each other.
Kabras Sugar and KCB Rugby clash in a crackling final at the former’s ASK Showground in Kakamega on Saturday evening.
With the high stakes underlying this fixture, a thriller awaits fans who will be streaming into the iconic grounds to cheer on their favourite teams.
As far as the 15s are concerned, the two teams have walked the local landscape like a colossus in the last 12 years.
Between them, KCB boast the lion’s share of the honours within the same period with five Kenya Cup titles, compared to the sugar millers’ four.
However, the bankers last hoisted the trophy in 2021, with Carlos Katywa’s charges going on a stranglehold on national dominance.
Going into Saturday’s showdown, one would be forgiven for putting their money on the host team to attain a five-peat.
The bankers’ last victory against their arch-rivals came in a regular season tie in 2022 in which they triumphed 29-22 at their Ruaraka Den backyard in Nairobi.
Since then, Kabras Sugar have proven a bitter pill to swallow for Andrew Amonde’s charges.
Kabras have gone on to win their next four Kenya Cup matches, including in the 2023 and 2024 finals in which they excelled 19-9 and 29-5.
Last year’s final would have been a great opportunity to exert revenge but for Kabras’ siblings, Menengai Oilers, who beat the bankers in the semis, winning 31-8 in Ruaraka.
It was a result that shattered expectations of another Kabras-KCB final although it was a testament of the hard work Gibson Weru has put in transforming the Nakuru outfit from an also-ran into a title challenger.
Amonde’s charges got one over the Oilers with a morale-boosting 25-15 victory at the latter’s Nakuru ASK Showground.
Will they complete the revenge mission with another win over Kabras come Saturday?
From boys to men
Speaking ahead of their encounter, Amonde backed his boys to hold their own against Kabras, noting that they have come of age after an anti-climactic end to the previous season.
“We have grown a lot as a team this season. The boys understand what is at stake, and we are ready to put in a complete performance. Kabras are a strong side, but we’ve shown we can match them, and now it’s about executing our game plan on the day,” the former Shujaa captain said.
Aside from the young players who he believes are now better prepared for such high-octane fixtures, Amonde will be buoyed by an experienced core of players who have plied their trade at the highest level.
The Shujaa contingent of Vincent Onyala, Floyd Wabwire, Samuel Asati and Festus Shiasi, among others, have played in high pressure matches at the World Rugby 7s Division 2 circuit.
Their psychological experience – never mind their physical capabilities – will come in handy in a match in which KCB will probably have to contend with a vociferous crowd that will be largely composed of the hosts’ fans.
Not that Katywa is resting on his laurels either; the South African will be well aware that his team are marked for massacre by a rival who is probably tired of playing second fiddle to them in the local 15s.
He will have an embarrassment of brains and brawn to choose from to protect their turf and ensure the trophy and the accompanying glory remains in Kakamega.
Patrick Lumumba and Jeanson Misoga have caught the eye for the sugar millers amid a team packed with game-changers.
The duo have topped the scoring charts for Kabras, both boasting 10 tries – only four less than Oilers’ Alvin Khavoli who leads the board.
Behind them is the fleet-footed Eric Cantona who has caught the eye with his performances, stretching from last season’s National Sevens Circuit (NSC).
The former Kenya Harlequin man boasts nine tries and should he be switched on Saturday, will be backed to add to that tally.
The weather factor
The last tie between the two giants in March this year ended prematurely amid pounding rains in Nairobi.
The Kenya Cup regular season encounter at Ruaraka ended in a 10-10 draw after match officials decided to stop it at halftime, amid a furious downpour that turned the ‘Den’ into a river about to burst its banks.
With the Kenya Meteorological Department projecting another heavy downpour across the country over the weekend, a muddy ASK Kakamega Showground could prove another interesting ingredient and a recipe for a sumptuous tie.
Both sides will have to make the most of the slippery pitch, not forgetting the glory that awaits the team that will keep themselves grounded.
