Kenya Lionesses skipper Peruz Muyuka has said they will be treading carefully when they face Zambia in an Africa Cup showdown in Kampala in a fortnight.
Muyuka said Zambia remains an unknown quantity and they will have to be aware of the threat the Southern African nation can pose.
"We have not played them in 15s rugby and, therefore, we cannot afford to underestimate them. This will be a tough fixture where we have to be at our best,” said Muyuka.
The lionesses will also play hosts Uganda in Kampala.
Dennis Mwanja's charges have been been in a non-residential camp for the past two months and Muyuka believes they are in good shape to gain promotion to Pool 'A', where South Africa and Namibia await in the new year.
“Our goal is to win the two matches in Kampala and gain promotion,” added Muyuka
Kenya last played in the Africa Cup in July last year where they lost twice to Madagascar (27-10 and 10-0) at Nyayo Stadium and the utility forward said they learnt valuable lessons from the twin defeats to the Indian Ocean islanders.
"I believe it was a wake-up call for us. We have steadily improved in all facets of our play... from attack to defence, to setpiece and we look to implement in the tournament,” noted Muyuka.
Mwanja will be using the tournament as preparation for the Rugby World Cup qualifiers slated for 2024.
"We are starting our preparations early for the next World Cup cycle. We have a young squad and we believe we have what it takes to build on our performances and qualify for the 2025 World Cup," said Mwanja.
Mwanja is expected to announce his squad for the week-long championship next week.
The Lionesses will begin their campaign with a clash against Zambia on October 29 before playing hosts Uganda on November 2.
Elsewhere, the Eric Shirley Shield will return next month, to be played concurrently with the Kenya Cup. The tournament features second-string sides from the Kenya Cup teams. It was not played last year due to logistical challenges.
