Mwamba have withdrawn from the Impala Floodlit tournament planned for later this month.
Impala RFC chairman Charles Ngovi said the Railways-based club did not give a reason for their non-participation.
“Mwamba told us they will not be participating but failed to give a reason for their withdrawal. We will, therefore, move and plan with the teams that will be available," said Ngovi.
Among the teams that have confirmed participation in the three-week event are—holders KCB, runners-up Menengai Oilers, Impala, Quins, Nondies, Homeboyz, Nakuru and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology.
The draw for the tournament will be done on Saturday at the Impala and the event has been divided into three categories featuring clubs, women and universities categories.
The tournament returns after a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and the lack of a sponsor last year.
Ngovi revealed Tusker will sponsor the event as the official alcoholic beverage sponsor and they are still working to get other sponsors on board.
“We are still talking to various sponsors to see if we can get more sponsors on board and by the end of the week, we will have a clear picture of where we are, ” he added.
The tournament will act as a curtain raiser for the Kenya Cup which will kick off on November 26 at various venues across the country. KCB are the defending champions in the clubs' category. KCB beat Menengai Oilers 23-19 in the final of the 2019 edition.
In the women’s final, Black Lions beat Black Panthers 40-5 while Strathmore Leos lifted the universities title with a 26-16 win over Mean Machine.
Advanced tickets for the first two weekends of the tournament are available at Sh300 each on www.Kenyabuzz.com. The tickets for the final weekend are going for Sh400
