Former KCB head coach on tweaks the Bankers need to beat Kabras in Kenya Cup final
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Reading Time: 4min | Wed. 29.04.26. | 15:37
Last season, the Bankers failed to reach the Kenya Cup final after suffering a heavy 31-8 semifinal defeat to Menengai Oilers
Former KCB Rugby head coach Oliver Mang’eni believes the Bankers have finally assembled the right mix of youthful, hungry and experience players needed to dethrone defending champions Kabras RFC in the upcoming Kenya Cup final.
The two rugby giants are set to face off on Saturday, 9 May, at the ASK Kakamega Showground, in what is expected to be another fierce chapter in one of Kenya’s modern rugby rivalries.
For KCB, the clash represents an opportunity to reclaim a title that has slipped through their fingers for the last four years.
Mang’eni, who coached the side during the 2024/25 season, believes the current squad is far more prepared mentally and tactically to handle the pressure of a final.
“We are looking at a very good Kenya Cup final this year. KCB are in good form. Looking at how KCB played against Nondies, if they play the same way next weekend, they could be this year’s champions,” Mang’eni told Mozzart Sport.
The former tactician, however, warned that Kabras’ experience on the big stage could still prove decisive.
The Kakamega-based side has dominated Kenyan rugby for four consecutive years and will enter the final carrying the confidence of serial winners.
“Kabras have the champion's luck, and that happens when you have so many seasonal players playing in the final. KCB have a chance but they have to tweak a few things especially in their forwards. Kabras have an advantage given that they have won all the last Kenya Cup finals,” he explained.
Mang’eni’s comments reflect a growing belief that KCB’s rebuilding process is finally bearing fruit.
Last season, the Bankers failed to reach the Kenya Cup final after suffering a heavy 31-8 semifinal defeat to Menengai Oilers.
That campaign exposed the gap between KCB and the league’s top contenders, but the emergence of younger players this season has transformed the side’s outlook.
“There is something that KCB have been building over time; these players who are hungry to play, and you could see against their match against Nondies, they had just a couple of senior players. The rest are hungry, serious, young players who want to win a Kenya Cup and make history for themselves,” he said.
Mang’eni also revealed that seeing the current crop edge closer to the title is fulfilling a vision he had while still in charge of the club.
“This is a dream that even me as a former coach, had for this team last year. And it is coming true. I like how the young players are playing well. Next week I will be backing them in the final. I want them to win. They just have to become a bit more hungry, more aggressive,” he said.
He also touched on the uncertainty surrounding John Aswani’s red card, expressing hope that the player will be available for selection in the final.
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Aswani was sent to the naughty chair early in their semifinal match against Nondies RFC, forcing the Bankers to play 14 men for the better part of the game.
“I do not know what happens to Aswani’s red card. I hope it is overturned so we have a full KCB complement. I am backing this team to do their magic in the final,” he added.
Mang’eni remains one of the most respected figures in Kenyan rugby.
The former forward played for KCB for 12 years from 2010 before retiring at the end of the 2022 Kenya Cup season.
During his glittering career, he also represented the Kenya national rugby sevens team, popularly known as Shujaa, during the 2014/15 season.
His trophy cabinet reflects his impact on the local game. Mang’eni won five Kenya Cup titles with KCB in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022, alongside three Enterprise Cup titles and five Impala Floodlights crowns.
On the international stage, he was part of Kenya’s Rugby Africa Cup-winning squad in 2013, featured in the 2014 Rugby World Cup qualifiers, represented the country in the 2018 Repechage tournament in France, and later played in South Africa’s Currie Cup Division One under coach Paul Odera in 2022.