Kenyan international passes on

Tony Onyango (with ball) of Kenya Simba's scores a try against Mathew Mcivab of Zimbabwe during their Africa Gold Cup rugby match at the RFUEA Ground in Nairobi on June 30, 2018. Simba won 45-36. Photo[Stafford Ondego, Standard]

The Kenyan Rugby fraternity is mourning following the sudden death of KCB fullback Tony Onyango.

The Kenyan international, who previously turned out for Impala, Strathmore Leos and Homeboyz, collapsed and died on Tuesday night at his home in Ngong’, just a few hours after returning from training in Ruaraka.

Onyango was part of the KCB team that beat Kabras Sugar 23-15 in last season’s Kenya Cup final match in Kakamega.

In a statement, the Kenya Rugby Union said:

“We join the entire Kenyan rugby fraternity in mourning Tony Onyango Opondo of KCB Rugby Club who passed away on Tuesday 3 March 2020. May God grant his family, friends, team mates and colleagues strength during this trying time.”

Onyango, an alumnus of Maseno School, featured for Kenya across all representative levels from Kenya Fifteens (Simbas) to Kenya Sevens (Shujaa).

He was in the Kenya U19s team (Chipu) at the 2010 Africa U19 Championship in Ivory Coast before Michael Tank Otieno handed him a senior national team call up for the Elgon Cup in 2012.

Onyango established himself in the Simbas team during Jerome Paarwater’s stint playing for the national team up to 2018 at the Rugby World Cup Repechage Tournament in Marseille, France.

He was part of the Kenya Sevens team in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons under Paul Treu and Felix Ochieng.