Aid arrives in good time to help Nakuru RFC breathe again

It was a big and revered club that produced great players who achieved unprecedented results in their heydays in the Kenya Rugby Union circles.

Nakuru RFC's wonderful performance gave birth to numerous ardent fans. It was the beginning of a memorable journey. A journey that would take different turns; good and bad.

The club has produced top players who have trotted the world like kings.

The National Sevens rugby team, Shujaa and national 15s side -Simbas can attest to having worked with some of the top players as they come.

Menengai Oilers head coach Gibson Weru and the club's lead trainer Enos Otieno, Larry Okinyo, former coach Jotham Owili, John Okoth, Phillip Owuor, Oscar Ouma, the club's patron Andrew Musangi and Max Muniafu, lecturer at United States International University (USIU), among others, are some of the top cream players who once donned the Nakuru's jersey.

Their long-standing exemplary performance saw them emerge as the first side outside Nairobi to win the Kenya Cup League title back-to-back in the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 seasons.

The same years saw the team win the National Sevens Circuit titles. The club was flying high. It was the envy of many. Nakuru residents and fans were a proud lot. Everything seemed to be going their way.

As a result, the club attracted numerous corporate sponsors. Everyone wanted a piece of Nakuru RFC.

All was going according to plan. Just like the flick of a switch, everything was falling into place.

But that was then, and this is now. Things are not as they used to be. The envy was replaced with pity. Concern crept in and out went confidence.

The sponsors packed and left, management issues sprouted, key players found greener pastures yonder, same as the technical staff. Like the Tower of Babel, it came tumbling down.

The kitchen became too hot, none was willing to be left behind; they left in droves.

For a team that was winning matches at will, such became a distance past. Like a mirage, it was waning all the time.

Save for a few legends to chose to hold onto faith, most had little faith.

What has saved the club from total collapse is their Age Grading Talent Academy, the brainchild of former coach Felix Oloo, who joined the paid ranks in Canada and the United States of America.

The oasis of Nakuru RFC, the academy has been the source of the club's provision of players.

At last, there seems to be some glimmer of hope. Survival is in the offing. Nakuru RFC has junior players in the teams of Under 20, 18, 16, 14 and 12 sides who gradually and steadily earn promotion to the senior side with time.

They are currently last in the Kenya Cup League standings with five points from eight matches after seven consecutive loses.

They don't have a substantive coach after Simon Wariuki took a Leave of Absence, leaving club chairman Aggrey Omiyo worried.

"He's on leave, and we don't know when he'll resume, but we have started shopping for new members of the technical bench because work has to go on," he said.

Wariuki succeeded Oloo in 2020. The ups and downs forced Nakuru RFC patron Andrew Musangi, who's a former player of the club, to go on a shopping spree, looking for sponsors to retain the club's identity and restore its lost glory.

Last week, the club landed a Sh2.5 million sponsorship from Smart Applications Company, a healthcare provider keen to resuscitate the dwindling fortunes of the club.

"We took into account the club's rich history and its impact on local communities for us to partner with them (Nakuru RFC) and change their ways of life on healthcare and improve on their performance," Smart Applications Company Group Chief Executive Officer Harrison Muiru said.

And from that new development, fans had high hopes ahead of their league match against Kisumu RFC at their backyard (Nakuru Athletic Club) last weekend, which they never disappointed.

Nakuru RFC defeated the lakeside city club 32-22 to register their first victory in the league, a win that was a morale booster to the playing unit and technical bench.