The Kenya Under-20 national rugby team, Chipu, begins its 2026 Rugby Africa U20 Barthés Trophy campaign against Zimbabwe on Friday, 7 August, at Mutesa II Stadium in Wankulukuku, Kampala, with a potential revenge date against defending champions Namibia looming in the final.
This year’s tournament introduces a revamped two-tier format, splitting the six competing nations into a Performance Division and a Division One. Kenya joins Zimbabwe, Namibia and Tunisia in the Performance Division, while hosts Uganda, Zambia and Madagascar contest Division One.
Unlike previous editions, the Performance Division skips straight to the semi-final stage, meaning Kenya’s opener against Zimbabwe doubles as a semi-final, with the winner advancing to the 11 August final. Namibia face Tunisia in the other semi-final that same day.
Should both Kenya and Namibia win their semis, the final would set up a rematch of the 2025 edition, when Namibia denied Chipu a title defence with a 32-22 victory in Harare. That defeat snapped Kenya’s momentum after Chipu had beaten Namibia 34-28 en route to lifting the trophy in 2024, before completing that campaign with a 28-13 win over Zimbabwe in the final.
Head coach Simon Jawichre has kept faith with several players from last year’s squad, including flyhalf Faran Juma and utility back Jackson Siketi, both of whom have also featured for their clubs in the ongoing National Sevens Circuit. Jawichre said the experience within his forward pack would be key as Kenya looks to bounce back.
Namibia arrive in Kampala as defending champions chasing a record fourth Barthés Trophy title, which would move them ahead of Kenya on the all-time list; the two nations are currently tied at three titles apiece since the competition was rebranded in 2016. Zimbabwe, twice champions in 2022 and 2023, will also be eager to reclaim the crown they lost to Kenya in 2024.
