Shujaa will focus on aspects like strength, conditioning and decision-making when he begins his pre-season camp for the World Seven Series next month.

Speaking on Sunday, team manager Steve Sewe said the Olympics in Paris were an eye-opener for what to expect when the season starts in Dubai in December.

“From a conditioning point of view, our boys need to be bigger and more resilient. If you have seen our games, we had a bright start but we gave up in the second half. So it is something we need to address before we start the series and make sure we are competitive for 14 minutes,” Sewe added.

The Kenyan Sevens team returned to the country last Monday after finishing ninth overall in Paris.

Sewe said they are monitoring players in all squads to improve the quality of the Seven players next season.

“When the Under-20s were playing in Scotland, we saw some very good talent that we believe we can add to our squad. There is some very good talent that we can use to strengthen our depth in the circuit in the ongoing national Sevens series,” he said.

Sewe was adamant that the second-team squad, known as Morans, needed to play satellite tournaments to stay fit. “I believe this decision should have been taken long ago. We cannot rely on Shujaa with the same players for a long time. The players in Morans need to play in quality tournaments and be tested so that when they move to Shujaa they are ready to face the big teams and do not suffer from stage fright,” Sewe said.

On the decision-making front, Sewe said the team needed to be sharper against well-organised teams in the World Sevens Series.

“In the Challenger Seven Series, we were able to break through the defences easily but in the World Seven Series, we have to work harder and smarter. We also have to be patient in our game setup to open up our defences and score runs,” he added.

Shujaa now has his sights set on the Safari Seven, scheduled for October. Sewe warns that competition for places will be fierce between Shujaa and Morans.

“This is a good opportunity for us, both as technical directors and technical staff, because there is great talent in our country,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) Board of Directors has appointed Thomas Odundo as the Chief Executive Officer.

Odundo, who was acting on an interim basis, was formally confirmed and his appointment was made retroactive to July 2024.

Prior to his appointment as CEO, Odundo served as Director of Rugby at the KRU for eight years, where he oversaw the operations of national teams, domestic leagues and tournaments.

Odundo has an extensive background in rugby, having obtained his Level One and Level Two coaching certificates in 1998 and 2001 respectively.

He coached the Kenyan Simbas from June 2004 to June 2006, during which time the team rose from 49th to 37th in the IRB World Rankings and advanced to the second round of the World Cup Qualifiers for the first time.