Odundo confirmed as Kenya Rugby Union CEO

By Peter Ochieng

Thomas Odundo has been confirmed as the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) Chief Executive Officer. The KRU board appointed him to the position with effect from July, 2024.

Before his confirmation, the new CEO held the position in an acting capacity.

Prior to that, Odundo was the Director of Rugby (DOR) at KRU for the last eight years, overseeing the operations within the National teams set up as well as the local leagues and tournaments.

“Odundo has a wide understanding of the sport having received his Level One and two coaching certificates in 1998 and 2001 respectively,” said KRU in an update on its website.

“He coached the Kenya Simbas between June 2004 to June 2006. During this coaching period, Kenya Simbas moved from Position 49 to 37 in the then IRB World Rankings and also qualified for the 2nd round of World Cup Qualifiers for the first time ever.”

Odundo thanked the KRU board for a vote of confidence, promising to put his right foot forward in the role.

“I’m grateful to the KRU board for showing confidence in me and will do the job to the best of my ability. Being from within the setup I fully understand the environment and under no illusions on the task at hand.”

He added, “I will rely on the support of the able secretariat, the board as well as all Kenyans who love the game of Rugby, the fans, spectators, clubs, players, match officials and all technical persons involved, as well as sponsors and the government of Kenya who greatly enable the game to be played. Thank you very much.”

During his tenure as DOR, the new CEO oversaw the Kenya Sevens qualification to the Tokyo and Paris Olympic games, as well as the Kenya U20 team wins at the 2019 & 2024 Barthes Trophies, consequently qualifying for the World Rugby U20 Trophy on both occasions, in Brazil and Scotland respectively.

Under his watch, the Kenya Lionesses 15s team qualified for the inaugural WXV3 tournament in 2023. He is certified coach educator with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton.

He also has vast experience as an Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) practitioner.