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Former Kenya Sevens Captain
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Andrew Noel Amonde (born 25 December 1983) is a retired Kenyan rugby union player and one of the most iconic captains in the history of the Kenya Sevens team, Shujaa. A powerful back-row forward nicknamed “The Beast”, he made his World Rugby Sevens Series debut for Kenya in 2006 and was appointed captain in 2012, a role he held for more than eight years—making him Kenya’s longest-serving sevens skipper. Under his leadership, Shujaa qualified for multiple Rugby World Cup Sevens tournaments, Commonwealth Games appearances and back-to-back Olympic Games, while he also starred domestically for KCB RFC, helping the club to numerous Kenya Cup and Sevens Circuit successes. Amonde’s signature achievement came in April 2016, when he captained Kenya to its first-ever World Rugby Sevens Series Cup title at the Singapore Sevens, demolishing Fiji 30–7 in a historic final that remains a defining moment for Kenyan rugby. He went on to captain Team Kenya at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (played in 2021), underlining his status as a national sporting leader and flag-bearer for the sevens code. After announcing his retirement from international sevens in 2022, he signalled his intention to move into coaching and technical roles for KCB and the national team, aiming to pass on his experience to the next generation.
Longest-serving Kenya Sevens captain: Appointed Shujaa skipper in 2012 and wore the armband for over eight years, making him the longest-serving captain in Kenya Sevens history.
2016 Singapore Sevens Cup champion: Captained Kenya to its maiden World Rugby Sevens Series Cup title at the 2016 Singapore Sevens, leading a 30–7 win over Fiji in the final—widely seen as Kenya’s greatest sevens victory.
The main “controversies” around his career relate to broader structural issues in Kenyan rugby—such as player contract disputes and funding challenges—that affected him and his teammates, particularly in the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics.
In interviews he has occasionally spoken candidly about administrative shortcomings in Kenyan rugby, adding his voice to players’ calls for better welfare, but this has been viewed more as advocacy than confrontation.
As a high-profile captain, he sometimes carried public criticism when Shujaa under-performed in world-series legs or global tournaments, though commentators generally distinguish between team form and his personal commitment or conduct.
News articles featuring Andrew Amonde
Double Olympian and Team Kenya captain: Skippered Kenya at the Rio 2016 Olympics and returned as captain for the Tokyo 2020 Games (held in 2021), underlining his longevity and trust within the national setup.
National honours and records: Played over 70 world-series tournaments, scoring 60+ tries and amassing more than 300 points, with one of the highest tackle counts in Kenya’s sevens history; he received a Head of State Commendation from President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2019 and a Kenya Rugby Union achievement award in 2022.
