Forty years after George Mwangi Kabeberi’s death, the rugby tournament that carries his name returns for a 37th edition, hosted once again by Mwamba RFC, affectionately known as Kulabu, at the RFUEA Grounds on August 15-16.
Kabeberi, a former Mwamba player, passed away on July 10, 1986. He played for the Nairobi-based club, popularly known as “Kulabu,” founded in 1977 with the aim of promoting rugby among indigenous Kenyans. What began as a tribute to one of the club’s own has since grown into a fixture on Kenya’s national sevens calendar, now the third leg of the six-tournament SportPesa National Sevens Circuit.
Mwamba emerged from a wave of Kenyan clubs formed by players unwilling to join what were then perceived as “white” clubs, at a time when the sport carried a racial divide in the country. The club went on to dominate the domestic scene through the early-to-mid 1980s — the era in which Kabeberi would have played, with his death in 1986 falling at the tail end of that golden generation.
Over the years, Mwamba has broadened the tournament’s meaning to also honour other departed club members, including Leeroy Okara, Absalom “Bimbo” Mutere, Abedeen Shikoyi and Jimmy Owino, situating Kabeberi within a wider lineage of club figures being kept alive in memory.
Speaking at the tournament’s media briefing, Mwamba officials reflected on how far the event has grown: a competition that started as a memorial has expanded into a two-day festival featuring 16 Division One teams, 16 Division Two sides and a dedicated Ladies’ competition.
For Mwamba, this anniversary carries added weight. The club has not won its own tournament since 2019, and the Paul Murunga-led side will be leaning on home support as it chases that long-awaited crown.
Much of that hope rests on a young squad, several of whom are on national duty this week, representing Kenya’s Under-20 side, Chipu, at the Rugby Africa Barthés Trophy in Kampala, Uganda, where the team reached Tuesday’s final after beating Zimbabwe in the semi-final. With that continental exposure behind them, Kulabu will go all-out this weekend in pursuit of long-lost glory.
