Kenya Cup Champions Kabras Prepare for Title Defense, KCB Ready for Rematch Showdown

The Kenya Cup champions, Kabras, will commence their title defence on November 25 with a home match against newly-promoted Kisumu RFC at the Kakemga showground.

As they seek a remarkable third consecutive Kenya Cup title, the sugar millers face a challenging schedule, including a crucial away fixture against last year’s losing semifinalists, Menengai Oilers, on December 2.

They will then navigate through tricky ties against Blak Blad at home on December 9 and an away match against Mwamba in the capital on December 16 before the league takes a break for Christmas and New Year.

The defending champions, Kabras, recently suffered a narrow defeat to Championship side Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) in the pre-season Lake Victoria Basin Cup, losing 14-13.

Assistant coach Felix Ayange described the loss as a wake-up call, emphasizing the need for improvement before the league kickoff. Kabras aims to build on their unbeaten performance in the 2022-2023 league campaign, having finished alongside KCB and Quins as the only teams to go undefeated in an entire season.

Meanwhile, last year’s finalists, KCB, kick off their campaign against Nondies in a rematch of the Impala Floodlit final at the Lion’s Den in Ruaraka.

Curtis Olago’s charges then face Quins at the RFUEA ground on December 2, followed by an away fixture against Nakuru on December 9 and a challenging encounter against Strathmore Leos before the festive break. The highly anticipated clash between Kabras and KCB is scheduled for January 13 in Kakamega.

The group phase of the Kenya Cup concludes on April 6, with the top six teams entering the playoffs on April 13.

The third-placed team will face the sixth-placed side, while the fourth-placed team meets the fifth-placed team. The winners of these matches advance to the semifinals on April 20, leading up to the final on April 27.