Kenya Shujaa retained the Safari Sevens title in style, beating Kenya Morans 24-5 in an all-Kenyan final at Nyayo National Stadium to complete a fifth consecutive triumph at the tournament.
The victory extended Shujaa’s remarkable unbeaten run at the Safari Sevens to 29 matches, with their last defeat coming against Germany in the 2021 group stage.
It was another emphatic chapter in Shujaa’s growing dominance of the home tournament and a fitting way to close a weekend in which Kenya’s two sides reached the final.
Shujaa withstand early pressure
Morans started the final with greater urgency, putting Shujaa under pressure and forcing the defending champions to spend much of the opening exchanges on the back foot.
Samuel Asati was shown an early yellow card, but Morans continued to threaten. They came close to breaking the deadlock when Lucky Onyango reached the Shujaa line, only to knock the ball on.
Shujaa gradually settled into the contest and tightened their defence. Brian Mutua had an opportunity to break through but was bundled into touch as neither side could find a breakthrough before halftime.
The match changed soon after the restart.
Rayvone Ambale created the opening with a well-executed dummy before going over for Shujaa’s first try. He added the conversion to put the champions 7-0 ahead.
Shujaa then began to take control.
A successful counter-ruck gave Victor Mola possession and he exploited the space in front of him, weaving through the Morans defence to score. The conversion stretched the advantage to 14-0.
With momentum firmly on their side, Shujaa continued to attack.
Festus Shiasi crossed for another try before John Okoth added a fourth, taking the score to 24-0 and leaving Morans with too much ground to make up.
Morans eventually got on the scoreboard through Dennis Ndayala, who finished a move created by substitute Harrison Mauve after his break opened up the Shujaa defence.
The response came too late, however, as Shujaa closed out a 24-5 victory and another Safari Sevens title.
Five straight titles
The latest success further strengthens Shujaa’s extraordinary record at the tournament.
The national side entered the final with 28 consecutive Safari Sevens matches without defeat and had also gone 15 straight matches unbeaten at Nyayo National Stadium in the competition.
Morans had been hoping to bring the title back to the national second-string side for the first time since 2019, when Kenya defeated South Africa 19-14 in the final.
Instead, Shujaa maintained their grip on the trophy and extended their winning streak to five consecutive titles.
The triumph also provides momentum for the national side ahead of its next assignment in the World Rugby SVNS 2 campaign.
Shujaa dominate individual awards
Shujaa’s strong tournament was reflected in the individual awards.
Elvis Olukusi was named Player of the Final following his contribution to the victory over Morans.
Victor Mola Odhiambo finished as the tournament’s Top Try Scorer with eight tries, while Kaleem Barreto was the Top Points Scorer with 52 points.
Uganda’s Lydia Namabiro dominated the women’s individual awards, finishing as both Top Try Scorer and Top Points Scorer after scoring eight tries and accumulating 40 points.
Safari 7s 2026 – Men’s Results
Cup Final
Shujaa 24-5 Kenya Morans
Third-place play-off
French Renegades 17-15 Shogun
Fifth-place final
Zimbabwe 19-17 SportPesa Fast Forwards
Ninth-place final
Southern California Nomads 17-15 GEL Squad
Semi-finals
Cup semi-finals
Kenya Morans 31-10 Shogun
Shujaa 36-0 French Renegades
Fifth-place semi-finals
SportPesa Fast Forwards 28-7 Wellington Jaguars
Zimbabwe 17-12 Wonder 7s
Ninth-place semi-finals
GEL Squad 29-28 Uganda
Southern California Nomads 22-14 Scotland
Quarter-finals
Shujaa 54-5 Wonder 7s
Kenya Morans 38-15 SportPesa Fast Forwards
Shogun 41-5 Wellington Jaguars
French Renegades 17-12 Zimbabwe
For Shujaa, the weekend ended with another trophy, a collection of individual awards and a record that continues to underline their dominance of Kenya’s premier international sevens tournament.
Five straight Safari Sevens titles. Twenty-nine matches unbeaten. Shujaa remain the team to beat on home soil.
