The Kenya rugby fraternity is in mourning following the sudden death of Kenya Simbas' fullback Tony Onyango.
Onyango collapsed at his Ngong home on Tuesday night after attending training with KCB. Post mortem will be done in the coming days to determine the cause of his death.
KCB rugby team manager, Philip Wamae, confirmed the demise of the player. "Not such a good morning here....unfortunate loss. The family has just confirmed the sad incident,” said Wamae.
Former Kenya Sevens coach Paul Murunga who was with the deceased over the weekend during the top of the table Kenya Cup clash pitting KCB and Homeboyz at Jamhuri Park expressed shock and disbelief.
"It's sad. We were with him over the weekend and he was telling us stories about the last World Cup campaign for the Simbas/Vodacom Cup in 2014 and what Kenya needs to do to qualify for the World Cup in future,” noted Murunga.
Murunga said he was a disciplined player off and on the field and always wanted to get feedback from his coaches. He was always asking us how he can become a better player and how he can improve his skill set," noted Murunga. Impala Saracens coach Mitch Ocholla described him as a dedicated player with strong leadership values.
“He joined Strathmore rugby from Maseno and he became one of our top players, who was always willing to learn and offer leadership. He was also a good family man and I'm shocked,” added Ocholla.
Tony had played for the Kenya national team across all levels including Kenya Simbas where he got his first call up under Michael "Tank" Otieno in April 2012.
He became a favourite of Jerome Paarwater and played for the Simbas up to 2018. He also Played for Kenya Sevens during the 2014/15 season under Paul Treu
An alumnus of Maseno School, Tony first played for Impala before joining Strathmore and was part of the squad that reached the 2012/13 Kenya Cup final
He played for Homeboyz after Strathmore before moving to KCB and was part of the squad that beat Kabras 23-15 in last season's final in Kakamega.
