KCB Rugby FC has appointed former Kenya Simbas legend Oliver Mang’eni as the acting head coach following the departure of Curtis Olago.
Olago, who joined KCB in 2008 as a player and transitioned to management in 2011, will leave the club at the end of August after a 13-year tenure as head coach.
Mang’eni, 36, currently the lineout coach for KCB, played for the team for 12 years from 2010 until retiring at the end of the 2022 Kenya Cup season. He also played for Shujaa during the 2014/2015 season. KCB RFC Patron Japheth Achola expressed confidence in Mang’eni’s appointment, calling it a new dawn for the club.
“It’s a new dawn for the club. We have complete faith in Oliver and believe his extensive experience and deep understanding of the club make him the perfect candidate to lead the team at this important time.”
Achola also thanked Olago for his service, noting his significant contributions to positioning KCB Rugby as a top club in local rugby and his role in the sport’s development in Kenya.
Mang’eni, known as “Olishe,” is a celebrated player with multiple accolades. He won the Kenya Cup five times (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022), the Enterprise Cup three times (2015, 2016, and 2017), and five floodlit titles (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2019).
He also secured two consecutive National Sevens Circuit titles (2013/2014 and 2014/2015), the Rugby Africa Cup in 2013, and participated in the World Cup qualifiers in 2014.
Additionally, Mang’eni represented Kenya in the Rugby test matches against Hong Kong, Portugal, and Spain in the 2015/2016 season, competed in the Repechage in France in 2018, and played in the Currie Cup Division 1 in 2022 under Paul Odera.
