Towards the end of last year, Safaricom announced a Ksh. 100 Milion sponsorship of the national Kenya Sevens team. The sponsorship was meant to cover the monthly allowances, medical insurance and airtime of both men’s and women’s teams.
The sponsorship will be facilitated through M-PESA with the package encompassing monthly allowances for the players and officials. As well as comprehensive medical insurance, airtime allowances and financial literacy program.
We had a conversation with Vincent Onyala a Kenya Sevens player in a bid to better understand the impact that the sponsorship had on the team and this is wat he had to say.
Tell us your name and rugby journey?
My name is Vincent Onyala and I am Kenya Sevens team member. I started playing rugby while I was in Primary School in Mathare as a way of keeping away from trouble. During that time, there was a rugby training initiative by a French-Kenya organization that was keen on improving the lives of kids in the slums. However, this didn’t last long as the post-election violence which rocked the country brought the program to an end.
I later joined Ruaraka High School for my secondary education; however, the school was not keen on rugby. Luckily for me, my former coach had a good relationship with the Catholic University of East Africa. This saw me to get a spot in the team which enabled me to continue with my rugby dream.
In 2015, I got my first call up after I was selected to join the Under 18 Kenya Sevens team. It is also the time that I joined the KCB Rugby team where I was instrumental in helping the club win the Kakamega 10s.
In 2016, my hard work continued to pay off as I was handed the Kenya Cup debut and emerged as the top try scorer for the Great Rift 10s. As well as the runner-up for the 2016/17 Erick Shirley Shield.
In 2018, I received his Kenya 7s debut after a call-up by coach Paul Murunga. In the 2018/19 season, I became the Kenya 7s top try scorer with 22 tries.
What can you say are the challenges facing rugby players?
The biggest challenge facing players at the moment is finances. This is because only a few clubs are able to offer their players renumeration that can enable them to sustain themselves. This means that one has to look for a day job and only play the game after work.
Players also don’t have access proper training facilities like the gym and playing fields. This affects the performance of the players as they are not able to give it their best on the field.
How has the Safaricom sponsorship impacted you as a player?
I can say that the Safaricom sponsorship has impacted me in a big way because it has enabled myself and the others to fend for ourselves. Having a monthly allowance which is assured has enabled me to focus on the game. This is because previously, in as much as you were playing there was always a worry about how to meet one’s expenses. However, we now have peace of mind.
Also, the sponsorship has sorted out the nitty gritty such as medical insurance, transport, meals during training and even airtime.
Outside the game, has the sponsorship provided an opportunity for personal development?
Other than finances, the Safaricom sponsorship has also come with financial literacy programs. These programs are intended to enable the players to handle their finances better. So far, we have been taken through a number of sessions on the Ziidi Money Market Fund which a good number of us have taken up.
How has the sponsorship affected team spirit and performance?
I can say that the Safaricom sponsorship has brought in a lot of cohesion and mental focus within the team. This is because the monthly allowance has enabled everybody to come for the training sessions as they are assured of getting something at the end of the month. It has also had a motivational effect on the team which has seen our performance during the last Sevens circuit improve drastically.