• Shujaa face England, South Africa and Spain in Dubai
•Shujaa had a disastrous campaign last season, narrowly avoiding relegation by a whisker and finishing 13th with 37 points.
Image: FILE
Kabras' Dan Sikuta is the notable inclusion in the Shujaa squad ahead of the opening two legs of the World Sevens Series next month in Dubai and Cape Town.
Sikuta, who missed out on the Olympic-cum-Africa Sevens Championship in South Africa earlier this month, makes the cut for both events.
Kabras' back row brings work rate, defence and speed to the squad, especially in the forwards.
Kenya Sevens head coach cum technical director Paul Feeney said that talismanic player and top try scorer Collins Injera will miss the two events despite approaching full fitness.
"Collins is about 85 per cent fit but I will not risk him for the first two tournaments. He is currently doing all the non-contact training,” he added.
Feeney expects Injera to have recovered in the next fortnight and has tipped him to be ready for the Australia and New Zealand legs in January.
Feeney said the team will be targeting a quarterfinal berth in the two opening tournaments as they seek to build momentum for the rest of the season.
“It's a difficult pool. We face South Africa and England and we are relishing the challenge of playing the top teams in the world,” he added.
Shujaa had a disastrous campaign last season, narrowly avoiding relegation by a whisker and finishing 13th with 37 points. However, Feeney said the team will have overcome some early season challenges to stay on track.
"You are well aware of the financial challenges we are facing and the players have had to sacrifice to make it for training. We hope things can be sorted in the short term” he noted.
Skipper Andrew Amonde said preparations for the opener have been thorough and excellent from the pre-season to date. “We have played two tournaments and the boys are ready for Dubai. The pool is not easy but at the World Sevens, there are no easy games,” noted Amonde
Shujaa will open their campaign against South Africa on Thursday next week before facing England and Spain on Friday. The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals are slated for Saturday.
Squad: Andrew Amonde (KCB), Jacob Ojee (KCB), Jeff Olouch (Homeboyz), Alvin Otieno (Homeboyz), Nelson Oyoo (Nakuru), Vincent Onyala (KCB), Johnston Olindi (KCB), Willy Ambaka (Quins), Billy Odhiambo (Mwamba), Oscar Dennis (Nondies), Daniel Taabu (Mwamba), Bush Mwale (Homeboyz) and Dan Sikuta (Kabras).