Habimana quits Nakuru Rugby Football Club

Dominique Habimana has stepped down as the Head Coach of Top Fry Nakuru RFC after two seasons in charge.

The 48-year-old Rwandan national made the announcement on Tuesday on his Facebook page, ending a checkered career at the helm of Nakuru’s rise in the local rugby scene that witnessed the club clinch the 2014 Kenya and Enterprise Cups in his first stint in charge.

‘Wanyore’ as they are fondly known in the rugby circles have fallen short of replicating their 2014 form failing to bag the top prize in the past two season.

On Saturday; Nakuru lost 16 – 15 to their bitter rivals Kabras in their play-off match to qualify for the 2015/2016 Kenya Cup semifinals.

It was the second year in succession the millers had quashed Nakuru’s hopes in the knockout phase.

“We run out of time and came up short by a single point! My poor heart will surely remember that last quarter!,” Habimana revealed after that cliff-hanger of a match that could have gone either way.

The loss at a packed Kakamega Showgrounds seemed to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back as the Kenya fifteens Forwards coach opted to chart a new path.

“I must thank the thousands of amazing fans for all the love you have shown me, every single day of the week over the past three seasons, ”he said.

Habimana joined Nakuru RFC in 2013 after coaching Kenya Harlequins to three successive Kenya Cup titles from 2010 to 2012.

The former back-row who hang his playing boots in 2008 after 12 years at Kenya Harlequins seemed to have a Midas touch in the technical aspects of the game inspiring Nakuru’s impressive run in the 2014 season.

The team won the Kenya and Enterprise Cups and replicated the same winning formula in the abridged version of the game clinching the 2015 local sevens series circuit.

“Thank you (to) my fellow technical (bench members) Jotham Owili Lang’o, Enos Otieno, Atsangu ‘Hilla’ Kisangi, Sammy Njogu, Antony Maina for such dedication and selfless work. Big shout out to captains Edwins Maduh and Mike Okombe for leading by example and showing great humility and leadership at the same time,” he posted.

Habimana will now concentrate on his current role as the forwards coach with the Kenya national rugby 15s team. He has however not ruled out on the possibility of being involved with another club in the near future.