Kenya Lionesses interim head coach Simon Odongo has called up 11 new players to the provisional squad ahead of the 2026 HSBC SVNS Division Two series, which kicks off in February at the Nyayo National Stadium.
Odongo said the technical bench has assembled a competitive group capable of performing strongly on home soil in the opening leg and securing promotion to the top tier for the 2026–2027 season. “We’ve picked a squad of 26 that will prepare for the 2026 HSBC SVNS season,” he said.
“We have retained fourteen of the fifteen women who played a pivotal role in helping us qualify for SVNS 2. Grace Okulu is the only foreign-based player in the squad, while Janet Okello returns from her stint in Japan.”
Among the new faces are Quins duo Maxine Abuga and Angel Salamba, Beatrice Osimbo, Gloria Matasio of Shamberere, Faith Achieng of Northern Suburbs, and Tracy Musungu of Nakuru RFC. Others include Anne Namunayak of Ruck It, Nelly Chikombe of Impala, Maureen Chebet of Mwamba, Marvel Oswago of Rongo University and Charity Nillah of the National Youth Service (NYS).
The Lionesses will train over the next fortnight, focusing on conditioning and skill refinement before breaking for the Christmas and New Year holidays. They will regroup in early January before travelling to Stellenbosch, South Africa, for a two-week high-performance training camp—an experience Odongo believes will be crucial to their ambitions.
“It will be good for the girls to go down south, upskill certain facets of play and immerse ourselves with some of the top South African coaches to fine-tune our preparations,” he noted.
Reflecting on their 22–0 loss to South Africa in the Africa Cup Sevens final at RFUEA Grounds, Odongo said the team had taken key lessons on board. “Our attack has to be sharper. We came away empty-handed in the final despite getting into the opposition's 22. There are tweaks we need to make to improve efficiency, as well as improvements in the set-piece. I’m confident these girls will do the country proud,” he said.
He maintained that South Africa are beatable and welcomed the prospect of facing them again next year. “The gap between them and us is not big. I’m confident that when we meet next time, we will come out victorious.”
