This is not a safe, bureaucratic appointment. This is Kenya Rugby Union betting everything on a man who has done nothing but win.
On Saturday, October 31, 2026, KRU’s director of leagues and competitions Leslie Mwangale went on Capital FM’s Saturday and Music Sports Show and made it official. Carlos Katywa, head coach of Kabras Sugar, is taking over as head coach of the national men’s 15s side, the Simbas. No hedging. No interim tag. The job is his.
The Man Who Built a Dynasty in Kakamega
To understand why this matters, you need to rewind to 2022. That was when Katywa first walked into the Kabras Sugar dugout and began quietly dismantling every other club in Kenyan rugby. Four consecutive Kenya Cup titles followed. Then four consecutive Enterprise Cup crowns. Eight trophies in four years. That is not luck. That is a system.
Born in Umtata, South Africa, Katywa is not some outsider parachuted in with no feel for the game here. He has lived inside Kenyan rugby long enough to know its rhythms, its frustrations, and its hidden talent. Mwangale put it plainly: “He understands our players. He understands the physique. He understands what our players can do, how to use them.”
That quote sounds simple. It is actually everything. Kenyan rugby has a long, painful history of foreign coaches who arrived with big reputations and left with nothing but excuses. Katywa is different. He stayed. He learned. He won.
Stepping Into Paarwater’s Shadow
His predecessor, Jerome Paarwater, a fellow South African, had returned to the Simbas hot seat in March 2023 for a second stint. Katywa served under him as one of two assistants, watching, contributing, absorbing the national setup from the inside. That proximity to the top job is not incidental. It is the foundation of his credibility here.
Before Paarwater’s departure opened the door, Katywa was also part of the technical bench for Chipu, the national under-20 side. In August this year, Chipu demolished Namibia 33-14 in the Barthes Cup final in Uganda. That result was not a fluke. Katywa’s fingerprints were on it.
What This Means for You
If you have watched the Simbas struggle on the international stage while Kabras Sugar dominated domestically, you already feel the gap this appointment is trying to close. The logic is obvious. Take the man who built the best club machine in the country and point him at the national team.
Mwangale went further, noting that Katywa will move around the country identifying talent. That matters because Kenyan rugby’s depth problem is real. Brilliant players exist outside Nairobi and Kakamega. They have always existed. The question has always been whether anyone was looking. Now, the head coach himself will be looking.
This is the moment. Katywa has the trophies, the knowledge, and the trust of the federation. The Simbas need someone who does not just understand Kenyan rugby on paper but has built something real with it. That man is now in charge. Watch closely.
