Since 2009/10 season date, Kenya 7s have scored 2122 tries in the World 7s Series and the best finish was in 2012/13 where they ended the season at position five under Mike Friday.
Here we look at players that have topped the try-scoring charts for Kenya 7s each season since 2009/10
2009/10
In the 2009/10 season, Humphrey Kayange ended the season with 33 tries for Kenya and only Samoan Mikaele Pesamino scored more tries than the talisman in the campaign. Pesamino had 56 tries in the season to be the overall top scorer of the season.
Kayange’s brother Collins Injera who won the top try scorer gong with 42 tries in the 2008/09 season dropped by 10 to finish second on Kenya’s list. Innocent Simuyu had 17 tries that season. Lavin Asego was the top points scorer with nine tries and 64 conversions. Kenya finished the campaign at position eight.
2010/11
31 tries in 2010/11 saw Kayange end the season as Kenya 7s top try-scorer for the second season in a row. This time round he was fourth on the overall top scorer’s list, behind South Africa’s Cecil Afrika who had 40, New Zealand’s Frank Halai 35 and Dan Norton 32. Injera once again came second on Kenya 7s top scorer’s list, scoring 29 times. Kayange was also the top points scorer with 157 points. Biko Adema and Asego drilled in 32 conversions. Kenya ended the season at position nine.
2011/12
For the first time since 2007, there was no Kenyan in the top 15 on the top try-scorers’ list. Willy Ambaka was Kenya’s top try scorer with 16 tries with Injera finishing second after crossing the whitewash 15 times that season. Kayange, Oscar Ouma and Sydney Ashioya were in the top five on Kenya’s scoring charts.
2012/13
As Kenya went on to register the best finish ever in the World 7s Series (fifth-place finish), Ambaka retained the top try scorer gong for Kenya. He dotted 24 times to finish 12th on the overall World 7s Series list.
Oscar Ouma landed 22 times forcing Injera to miss Kenya 7s top two list for the first time since 2008. Injera had 20 tries while Andrew Amonde and Dennis Ombachi tied at 11 each. Biko Adema belted in 47 conversions while Asego got 12. Ambaka also ended the season as the top points scorer.
2013/14
In 2014, Injera achieved the feat he last managed in 2009 as Kenya finished seventh. The Mwamba RFC man raced on for 30 tries and he was fourth on the overall list in the series. The utility back had 14 more tries than what second-placed Billy Odhiambo got that season.
Oscar Ayodi had 13 tries while Kayange and Horace Owiti tied at nine each. Injera was also the top points scorer for Shujaa after stringing in eight conversions for a total of 166 points. Adema scored 52 conversions and added on his four tries for a total 124 points for Shujaa.
2014/15
Odhiambo commonly known as Billy the Kid became the first player besides Injera, Kayange and Ambaka to be Kenya’s top scorer in 2014/15. Odhiambo scored 20 tries for 100 points to top both the try and points scorers charts for Kenya.
Injera had 14 tries as Sikuta landed 12 tries. Homeboyz duo Bush Mwale and Leonard Mugaisi tied at 11 tries each. Asego topped the conversions charts for the first time since 2012 bagging 27 conversions. In that season Kenya were 13th.
2015/16
In 2016 Injera was back on the top of the Kenya 7s try scorer’s charts as helped Kenya to another seventh-place finish. This was the fourth time he was finishing as Kenya’s top try-scorer in history. No other Kenyan player has achieved that.
He crossed over for 32 tries and also topped the points scorer’s list with 172 points after scoring three conversions in the season. Adema had 55 conversions season.
2016/17
Despite the 2017 struggles that saw Kenya finish 12th, Odhiambo returned to be the top scorer with 22 points. This season he was 17th on the try scorer’s overall list.
Ambaka was second with 19 while Nelson Oyoo was third. In that season Odhiambo and Sammy Oliech tied at 110 points on the top points scorer’s list for Kenya.
2017/18
2017/18 is a season Ambaka will live to remember. He was Kenya 7s top performer and capped it off with 31 tries to rank ninth overall that season. Injera rose back to second after 27 tries, this was 18 more tries than what he had achieved in 2017.
Ambaka’s tries totalled to 155 points for Kenya making him also top points scorer of the season. Kenya finished eighth and had appeared in two straight finals. They also achieved the highest tally of points ever (101) in a single season.
2018/19
In the 2018/19 campaign, a new name joined the top try scorers list and this was debutant Vincent Onyala who landed 22 tries.
Mwale scored 16 tries while Daniel Taabu, Jeff Oluoch and Johnstone Olindi were in the top five. 41 conversions saw Taabu finish as the top points scorer with 157 having also landed 15 tries that season.
2019/20
Onyala once again ended the season as the top try-scorer in the 2019/20 season that was concluded after sixth rounds due to COVID-19.
The KCB utility player scored 13 tries in the six rounds. Alvin Otieno, Willy Ambaka had eight tries same as Collins Injera who dotted eight times in just 15 matches for Kenya.
