Safaricom has committed Ksh2 million through M-PESA to support the upcoming Safari 7s rugby tournament at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.

The company announced the sponsorship on 7 Oct 2026 ahead of the three-day tournament starting on 9 Oct 2026.

The sponsorship links Kenyan sport with mobile payments and connectivity services for fans and businesses attending the tournament.

“We wish Shujaa and the Lionesses success as they defend their titles,” Safaricom chief executive officer Peter Ndegwa said.

Safaricom said it would strengthen network capacity at the stadium to help spectators share and follow the matches.

The company said dedicated connectivity would also support the tournament’s live broadcast during the three days of competition.

Its plans include bringing digital services and customer support to fans and businesses at the venue.

The commitment builds on a two-year partnership with the Kenya Rugby Union valued at more than Ksh100 million according to Safaricom.

That partnership supports the national Sevens teams through M-PESA and covers both Kenya Shujaa and the Kenya Lionesses.

Safaricom said the arrangement provides monthly allowances for players and officials alongside medical insurance, airtime allowances and financial literacy programmes.

Kenya Rugby Union chairperson Harriet Okach said the company’s connectivity investment would help fans follow the action.

Okach also said support for women’s rugby through the M-PESA partnership continued to make a difference.

“We look forward to delivering an exciting Safari 7s and encourage fans to turn up in large numbers to support our teams,” Okach said.

Safaricom said fans would be able to access matchday tickets through the Tikohub MiniApp within My OneApp.

The company said streaming bundles would also be available through My OneApp for spectators following the matches.

Visitors would be able to use M-PESA GlobalPay as a payment option during the tournament according to the release.

The planned services place ticket access and mobile payments alongside Safaricom’s network support within the same sporting event.

Safaricom said M-PESA generated more than Ksh182.7 billion in revenue for the financial year ending in March 2026.

The Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed company reported annual revenues of Ksh400 billion as at March 2026 in its corporate background information.

The tournament’s 28th edition will feature 18 teams across the men’s and women’s competitions according to the organisers’ programme in the release.

Kenya Shujaa and Kenya Morans will join international and invitational sides in the men’s competition.

The women’s competition will feature Kenya Lionesses, Kenya Cubs, Shibli and teams from Uganda, Tunisia and Spain.

Defending champions Kenya Shujaa and Kenya Lionesses will return for the tournament running from 9 to 11 Oct 2026.

Safaricom has committed Ksh2 million through M-PESA to support connectivity and digital services at Nyayo National Stadium for the upcoming 2026 Safari 7s tournament.

The company announced the sponsorship in Nairobi on 7 Oct 2026 ahead of the tournament running from 9 to 11 Oct 2026.

“We wish Shujaa and the Lionesses success as they defend their titles,” said Safaricom chief executive Peter Ndegwa.

The sponsorship matters to Kenya’s business sector because it brings mobile payments and connectivity services to fans and businesses at a national sporting event.

Safaricom said it would increase network capacity at the stadium to help spectators follow matches and share content during the three-day competition.

The company said dedicated connectivity would also support the tournament’s live broadcast.

Beyond network services, Safaricom said it would provide access to ticketing and streaming bundles through My OneApp during the event.

Fans will be able to access matchday tickets through the Tikohub MiniApp within My OneApp according to the company.

Safaricom said visitors would also be able to use M-PESA GlobalPay as a payment option during the tournament.

The announcement places the company’s payment and digital services alongside its sports sponsorship rather than limiting its involvement to financial support.

Safaricom said the latest commitment builds on its two-year partnership with the Kenya Rugby Union valued at more than Ksh100 million.

That partnership supports the national sevens teams Shujaa and Kenya Lionesses through M-PESA according to the company.

Safaricom said the arrangement provides monthly allowances for players and officials alongside medical insurance, airtime allowances and financial literacy programmes.

Kenya Rugby Union chairperson Harriet Okach said the connectivity investment would help fans follow the tournament and welcomed the continued support for women’s rugby.

“We look forward to delivering an exciting Safari 7s,” said Okach.

The sponsorship also gives Safaricom another setting to present services from a payments business that contributes substantially to its reported revenue.

In its background information, Safaricom said M-PESA generated more than Ksh182.7 billion in revenue for the financial year ending in March 2026.

The company said its annual revenue stood at Ksh400 billion as at March 2026.

Safaricom said M-PESA serves 41 million customers who use their phones to transact, save or borrow money.

The company said the 28th Safari 7s would feature 18 teams across the men’s and women’s competitions.

Kenya Shujaa and Kenya Morans will join international and invitational sides in the men’s competition according to the release.

The women’s competition will feature Kenya Lionesses, Kenya Cubs, Shibli and teams from Uganda, Tunisia and Spain.

Defending champions Shujaa and Kenya Lionesses return to Nyayo National Stadium when the tournament opens on 9 Oct 2026.

KCB Rugby Club will host and compete in the 2026 KCB MET 7s tournament on Saturday, July 4, at the KCB Sports Club in Ruaraka, Nairobi, as Kenyan clubs intensify preparations for the upcoming National Sevens Circuit.

The Kenya Rugby Union (KRU)-sanctioned tournament will feature 16 teams split into four pools. KCB Rugby Club has been drawn in Pool A alongside Homeboyz RFC, Kabete Stallions and JKUAT Cougars, setting up a series of early fixtures that organisers say will test squads ahead of the national circuit.

Pool B includes Daystar Falcons, KU Blakblad, Makueni Ravens and USIU Eagles. Pool C has Catholic Monks, Zetech, NYS and Mean Machine, while Pool D brings together Kenya Harlequins, Mwamba RFC, Stingerz RFC and Northern Suburbs, according to the tournament line-up shared by organisers.

The event comes as corporate-backed sports properties continue to play a visible role in Kenya’s rugby ecosystem, particularly in supporting competitive calendars outside the marquee national circuit and the international sevens programme. For clubs, pre-season and build-up tournaments have become a key avenue to evaluate playing combinations and give match minutes to new signings and youth players under competitive conditions.

Brian Mwita, vice chairperson of KCB Rugby Club, said the tournament is positioned as both a development platform and a competitive test for the club. “The KCB MET 7s represents our commitment to the growth of rugby in Kenya by creating opportunities for players across all levels to compete on one platform,” Mwita said. “As a club, we are excited to once again support this initiative while using it to sharpen our squad ahead of what promises to be a highly competitive National Sevens Circuit.”

Now in its fifth edition, the MET 7s was launched in 2022 through Stingerz Rugby Football Club, with organisers saying its aim was to bridge the gap between grassroots rugby and elite competition. Since its launch, the event has expanded participation among clubs, and organisers said it has drawn recognition from stakeholders including KRU and Rugby Africa.

Collins Nabiswa, the tournament director, linked the competition to player development pathways and said KCB’s involvement has supported delivery of the event. “Our vision has always been to create a sustainable pathway where young players can compete alongside established talent and gain the experience needed to progress to higher levels of the game,” Nabiswa said. “The partnership with KCB Rugby Club has significantly enhanced the tournament's impact, allowing us to deliver an event that not only entertains but also contributes meaningfully to the growth of rugby in Kenya.”

While the organiser statement did not disclose the event’s sponsorship value, KCB said its sports support spans multiple disciplines and includes ownership of teams and sponsorship of events in volleyball, football and rugby, as well as support in chess, athletics and golf.

For Kenya’s sports business landscape, such tournaments create inventory for sponsorship activation, media coverage and fan engagement—particularly in Nairobi, where corporate-hosted venues can reduce event delivery costs and improve the reliability of the match calendar. They also provide a pipeline for talent identification ahead of the National Sevens Circuit, which remains the primary domestic platform feeding elite club performance and, indirectly, national team selections.

Organisers said the tournament will serve as a competitive build-up event, giving coaches a chance to assess combinations, integrate new players and refine tactics ahead of the national series. The next milestone will be the July 4 match day in Ruaraka, after which teams are expected to transition into final preparations for the National Sevens Circuit.