Menengai Oilers head coach Gibson Weru believes his side’s dominant Enterprise Cup quarterfinal victory has come at the right time as they rebuild momentum ahead of the Kenya Cup playoffs following Saturday’s cross-border clashes.
The Oilers secured a convincing 60–15 win over Buffaloes at the ASK Nakuru Showground to book a semifinal place, with Weru describing the performance as an important response after difficult recent outings.
Speaking after the match, the Oilers coach emphasized the significance of the result in restoring confidence within the squad.
“Fantastic game of rugby, very good opponent in terms of intensity. A good response from my team in terms of performance,” Weru said.
“I think we struggled to put a good performance last weekend when we played Kabras and two weeks ago when we played KCB. For us it was a matter of ticking the boxes where we needed to.”
Weru noted that while the team’s campaign has faced setbacks, the focus remains on steady improvement heading into the decisive phase of the domestic season.
“It’s a work in progress. I think we’ve been dented in our campaign but we’re still in it. We use this win to build our confidence and make sure we start working on the areas we struggle in.”
The victory provides timely encouragement for Menengai Oilers, who finished third in the 2025/26 Kenya Cup regular season having reached last year’s final, where they fell to Kabras RFC.
They will now pursue the title through the playoff route.
Elsewhere in the Enterprise Cup quarterfinals, Kenyan sides delivered mixed results.
Kabras RFC produced a commanding 61–19 win over Uganda’s Heathens, while Nondescripts RFC defeated another Ugandan side Kobs 29–13 to advance.
KCB Rugby, however, shockingly exited the competition following an 11–10 loss to Ugandan champions Black Pirates in Wankulukuku a result that leaves them without the Enterprise Cup title since their last triumph in 2017.
Speaking after the defeat, KCB player Sheldon Kahi admitted errors proved costly.
“The game was tough, they were good opposition. We made a lot of mistakes and didn’t get to our structure the way we wanted. Now we go home and regroup for the Kenya Cup semi. We have to learn from this, improve our execution and discipline, and fight for what’s left.”
The semifinal lineup now sets up an all-Kenyan clash between Menengai Oilers and Kabras RFC, while Nondescripts will travel to Uganda to face Black Pirates, with matches scheduled for April 11.
