Giants Upper Hill hungry to reclaim national rugby 15s crown

Upper Hill's Evans Baya (left) and Christopher Munene of Nairobi School during Nairobi Region Secondary Schools Term 1 Rugby match at The Nairobi school on Saturday, March 15, 2025. [File, Standard]

Years ago, Upper Hill was Nairobi’s undisputed secondary school sports giant.

They dominated their opponents, winning at will in not just one but several disciplines.

In 2018, they clinched both the national and East Africa rugby 15s titles, cementing their status as a regional powerhouse.

However, administrative changes effected in 2017 hit them hard, proving that indeed, the path to success is rarely linear.

The solid foundation left by former principal and current Kibra MP Peter Orero saw them remain afloat to dominate 2018.

Nonetheless, they crumbled as Dagoretti High, who were now under Orero’s leadership. They dethroned them in 2019 and locked them out of the nationals for years.

That period of transition, coupled with the suspension of co-curricular activities for two years since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, saw the city boys slip into deep slumber.

Things started looking up for them after another change in administration that brought in former Olympic High School and Dagoretii Mixed principal Maurice Okumu, who has vast experience in sports.

The road back to the top has not been easy for Upper Hill, which only returned to the big stage last year.

By finishing fourth at both the 2026 national and East Africa games, they fired warning shots to their opponents that the giants were awake, even if they were still shaking off the rust.

If their dominant show at the Nairobi Region games is anything to go by, then the rust is gone.

They are back and ready to prove that they may have been down for a while, but they are still a force to reckon with in schools’ rugby.

They dismantled their opponents at every level before making a huge statement with a 67-5 win over Strathmore School in the final.

Upper Hill coach Eustace Sifuna exuded confidence, saying that they aim to top their pool so that they can play the number two side from the other group.

“We want to reclaim the trophy, which means we must have an effective strategy that will help us achieve our objectives. Our first goal is to win all our pool matches so that we can top and play the number two side in the semis because the other group is also heavy,” Sifuna said.

They will be up against the 2024 national and East Africa champions, All Saints Embu from Eastern, who are also wounded after losing both titles last year.

They will also play 2003 national winners St Mary’s Yala, who will make an emotional return to the big stage, playing closer to home and enjoying huge support from the Nyanza Region.

They will also meet Kwale High School from the Coast, who don’t pose a major threat based on their previous encounters.

Should they advance from the pool, they will play the top two teams in Group B, which has reigning East Africa champions Kisii School, former national champions Bungoma High from Western, Mang’u High from Central, and Menengai High School from Rift Valley.