Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) want to introduce the women's University League later in the year.
KRU chairman Alexander Mutai said the move is aimed at boosting the numbers in the women's game which is currently low.
"We want to start the women's University League with all the varsities in the country. We want to have as many girls as possible playing the sport and complement the other competitions we have," avered Mutai
The University League will give the Kenya Lionesses depth in both Sevens and 15s during various international assignments in the years to come.
“Right now, we are thin in terms of numbers. We have a team playing in the Africa Cup in Madagascar and the Lionesses will be featuring in the Challenger Sevens Series in Poland this weekend. We have to juggle the players from both squads,” observed Mutai.
Changes to the women's game have already begun with the ongoing Super Series which features Eagles and Jaguars franchise teams.
Mutahi said they were also keen to leverage the Term One ball games which for the first time saw the girls playing 15's rugby in Machakos last month.
The participating schools were Nyanza region champions Kisumu Girls, Rift Valley region champions St. Joseph’s Kitale and Mwira. Others were Katwanyaa, Paul Harris, Hidden Talent and Central.
He observed with the help of the Regional Development officers, they have been able to unearth talent from the national championships.
“The talent is immense. We saw good rugby being played by the girls and we need to nurture them and get them into various clubs and universities with good coaches,” he observed.
Currently, eight teams play in the Kenya Cup including champions Mwamba, runners-up Northern Suburbs, Impala, Nakuru, Shamberere, Rongo, Maseno and Western Spears.
He said should all that be actualised, Kenya can qualify for the Rugby Women's World Cup in 2029.
“There are no shortcuts. We have to be intentional with our development plan, starting from the grassroots to the clubs and national team. The more players we have, the better options for us."
The Lionesses 15-a-side team saw their chances of qualification to the World Cup go up in smoke in Madagascar last week after losing 29-22 to the hosts and 63-5 to champions South Africa.
