Samuel Asati: The Kenyan rugby star with big dreams

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At 5’6, Samuel Asati is rarely the biggest man on a rugby field. But when the ball leaves the scrum, size quickly becomes an afterthought.

With a sharp turn of the feet, a sudden change of direction and a dummy that can leave defenders guessing, the KCB and Kenya Sevens scrumhalf has built a career on making his small frame work to his advantage.

“I was small, but I never feared the big guys,” Asati says.

“When I was a kid watching rugby, at first, I didn't know if I could make it because those guys were huge.”

Today, the 27-year-old is one of the familiar faces in the Kenya Sevens set-up, a journey that began more than a decade ago in very different circumstances.

Born in Kisii in 1999, Asati grew up around Karura Forest in Nairobi, where his mother worked. He is the last-born in a family of four boys, but none of his siblings followed him into sport

For Asati, however, sport was always about excitement.

“As a child I needed adrenaline and rough sports. Football was too normal for me,” he recalls.

He first tried cricket before rugby arrived at Muthaiga Primary School. In Class Six, in 2012, he joined Shamas Rugby Foundation and was soon travelling and learning beyond Kenya. A year later, he went to South Africa with Shamas on an exchange programme.

His next important step came at Northern Suburbs RFC, then a feeder team for KCB Rugby.

It was at KCB that a youth coach assigned him the scrumhalf position. Although capable of playing flyhalf, Asati found his home at number nine, where his quick thinking, passing, speed and ability to read the game have become his trademarks.

His development followed a steady path.

He played for Cardinal Otunga High School in Kisii from Form One to Form Four, while using school holidays to turn out for KCB Under-16 and Under-18 teams at rugby festivals.

One of his fondest school memories came in 2016 when Cardinal Otunga competed at the secondary school national games at Kangaru High School in Embu.

After Form Four, he moved into KCB's second team in the Eric Shirley Shield before eventually breaking into the Kenya Cup side and, later, the national teams.

“I believe one thing that has made me stand out is I've had quite a good transition,” he says.

“I played in the age grade, went to the KCB team two side, transitioned to the KCB Rugby Kenya Cup side, then to the national teams. I've had quite a good development. I've never missed any step.”

That progression has been central to his career.

Asati has now spent 14 years at KCB, including nine as a professional player on a performance-based contract. He credits the club for giving him the environment to grow, including support when players are injured and require treatment or rehabilitation.

“KCB is one of the clubs that takes care of their players quite well, both when they are healthy and playing or when they get injured,” he says.

“Being part of the KCB Rugby team, you wear the jersey with pride. And remember, whenever much is given to you, much is expected from you.”

There is little room for complacency.

KCB has a large playing squad across its Kenya Cup and ESS teams, and competition for the scrumhalf position is particularly intense.

“In the number nine position, we have six players, so that's healthy competition in the team,” Asati says.

“There is assessment after a period, so there is no room to relax.”

Away from rugby, Asati is equally determined to prepare for life beyond the sport.

He is pursuing a second bachelor's degree in Business and Information Technology at KCA University after completing a degree in Real Estate Management at Mount Kenya University.

“The first degree was for the parents. I am doing my degree now,” he says with a smile.

Balancing university with international rugby is demanding. Kenya Sevens training takes up his mornings on several weekdays, while KCB sessions occupy his evenings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

For Asati, education is not optional.

He believes young Kenyan players should use rugby as a pathway to education and employment because the sport remains largely semi-professional or amateur locally.

His own rugby education, meanwhile, continued through the national teams.

He was first selected for Kenya Under-16 in 2014 but the team did not travel to Germany. In 2017, he was called up to Chipu, although he missed the final squad. A year later, he finally made his Under-20 debut under coach Paul Odera.

The following year brought one of his biggest achievements.

As vice-captain, Asati helped Chipu beat Namibia 21-18 in the 2019 Barthes Cup final at KCB Sports Club. The victory secured Kenya a place at the World Rugby Under-20 Trophy in Brazil.

That same year, he made his Kenya Simbas debut against Zambia in the Victoria Cup.

But even as his career in 15s rugby developed, Asati had another target.

“Any kid growing up who plays rugby, what was shown in the magazine was Kenya Sevens,” he says.

“I used to look up to Michael ‘Two Jumps’ Wanjala, who was the Kenya Sevens number nine. My dream was always to play for Kenya Sevens.”

The dream finally arrived in 2023 when he was called up to Shujaa under coach Kevin “Bling” Wambua.

What followed surprised even Asati.

“I didn't know I'd be a starter in the team, and after I got called into the team, I've started all the matches till now for the national side," he said.

His rise has included an appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympics and, in 2026, a stint with Delhi Redz in India's Rugby Premier League, where he played alongside international players and experienced a different professional environment.

Yet Asati remains grounded in the journey that brought him here.

“I just move step by step. I find myself just growing.”

Player Profile

Name-Samuel Asati

Age-27 

Club-KCB Rugby

Position-Scrum Half

Achievements

2019 Barthes Cup champion

2019 Kenya Cup champion

2019 Kenya Simbas debut

2021 Kenya Cup champion

2023 Shujaa call-up

2024 Olympian

2026 India's Rugby Premier League