The Kenya Rugby Union and Sportpesa gaming company have announced a major restructuring of their sponsorship deal ahead of the 2024-2025 HSBC season.

Shujaa Sevens will get Ksh84 million over the next two seasons as a result of the renegotiated contract. In the 24/25 season, Shujaa will receive Ksh33 million, and in the 2025/26 season, Ksh49.5 million.

Shujaa reclaimed their core in the HSBC World 7s series after beating Germany in the challenger finals in Madrid. They start the 2024-2025 season campaigns in Dubai Sevens.

Ronald Karauri, the SportPesa Chief Executive Officer expressed SportPesa’s mission to nurture and promote sports in the country.
“This partnership aligns with SportPesa’s broader mission to nurture and promote sports excellence across the country. Aside from the financial support, our objective is to empower our athletes to achieve greatness while inspiring the next generation of sports stars,” he said.

“We believe in the potential of Shujaa and are confident that with this support, they will make a remarkable impact on this season of the HSBC World Rugby Series,” he added.

During the handover ceremony, KRU Chairperson Sasha Mutai expressed her gratitude to Sportpesa for supporting the team.

“This partnership will continue until 2026, and we are seeing the results. Our players are back in training, and with this renewed commitment, we are aiming for nothing less than staying in the HSBC Series.”

The team is set to attract new sponsors as the training camp begins in Cape Town, they need all the help to avoid relegation as the team already faces tough competition in their first event.

“We are determined to avoid relegation this time, and I am confident in these boys. We begin our campaign in Cape Town, and I want them to believe in themselves, play hard, and work even harder to achieve the best results,” said Sasha Mutai.