100 YEARS OF RUGBY IN KENYA: 1910-2010 A CENTURY OF PRIDE

100 YEARS OF RUGBY IN KENYA The origins, development and history of the game in the East African territory and Kenya, in particular, is documented in snippets, in a variety of publications and remains largely unavailable to the rugby enthusiast and the Kenyan sportsman or Historian. The Rugby Administrator struggles to trace the history of the development of the game, including past fixtures and results, while the younger Kenyan enthusiast lacks informative reference on the game in past days in any easily accessible form, the game is much the poorer for it. There exists a serious gap in documenting the history of the game as no definitive version has been written, compiled and published to date. Major pillars of the early game are disappearing with memories of the glory days of yore, and pioneers, may soon be lost to present and future enthusiasts. The concepts and records of out-going and incoming tours including the visits by the famed British Lions may go the same way. These shores have been visited by tens of colourful sides while we have sent out many tours including the pioneering sevens sides. The interesting saga of the changing structure of the administration of the game, the competitions and the clubs is also a subject that needs to be recorded for posterity. As examples, it is incredible to many present-day enthusiasts to learn that Nondescripts RFC were based at Parklands Club from inception in 1912 up to 1998. That Mwamba RFC was formed by the stalwarts of the first Mean Machine RFC side that won the Kenya Cup in 1977 and was the “declaration of independence” of the African Rugby player. That the tallest Rugby posts outside South Africa are to be found standing at Nandi Bears Club, a fact that is today known to none but a few aficionados. The book is a result of research and record of the development of the game through the last 100 years and includes the best photographs, insights from interviews with legends of the game, snippets of articles by renowned rugby reporters and writers, testimonials, anecdotes and real-life stories of rugby lovers in East Africa in a lively narration of the history of the game with utmost fidelity to fact. The book contains fixtures played by Kenya XV in the period and other statistics. This is rendered into a hard cover coffee table book format that throbs with life and colour inviting the reader to come back again and again.