Kenya Shujaa finished top of Pool A at the 2026 Safari 7s after defeating regional rivals Uganda 21-5 at Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday, capping their group-stage campaign with an emphatic victory.

Shujaa, who had drawn 21-21 against SportPesa Forward Legends on Friday before beating Scotland 22-0 on Saturday morning, were determined to maintain their momentum against Uganda.

However, their task became complicated when Nygel Amaitsa was sent to the sin bin, allowing Uganda to take advantage of their numerical superiority. Aaron Tukei capitalised on a charge-down and raced past Samuel Asati to score the opening try.

Kenya responded through Gabriel Ayimba, who crossed the line and converted his try to give the hosts a 7-5 half-time lead.

Ayimba completed his brace after a brilliant pass from Elvis Olukusi, before Rayvone Ambale added the conversion to extend Kenya’s advantage to 14-5.

Substitute Glacious Owino then took a quick tap and sprinted through the Ugandan defence to score the third try, sealing a 21-5 victory and confirming Shujaa’s position at the summit of Pool A.

SportPesa Forward Legends also booked their place in the Cup quarter-finals after overpowering Scotland 38-17 in a crucial Pool A encounter.

Scotland took an early lead through Daniel Kelly, but Reagan Bosman responded for the Kenyan invitational side. Duanne Raubenheimer and Bosman added further tries as Forward Legends established a 19-10 advantage.

Junaid Philip subsequently created an opening after the restart, helping extend the lead before Raubenheimer completed his hat-trick. Scotland managed additional points, but Forward Legends had already done enough to secure qualification.

Meanwhile, Kenya Morans topped Pool C despite being held to a 12-12 draw by Zimbabwe Cheetahs.

Co-captain Clinton Amukwachi opened the scoring with a powerful run down the left, but Zimbabwe fought back through Munyaradzi Ngandu just before half-time.

Lucky Onyango appeared to have secured victory for the Morans when he scored late to restore their advantage at 12-5. However, PK Manyakara crossed under the posts to level the contest at 12-12.

Kenya had a final opportunity to find a winner, but a mistimed pass from Mathias Osimbo to Harrison Mauve ended their attack. The draw was nevertheless sufficient to preserve their position at the top of Pool C.

Elsewhere, Shogun defeated French Renegades 19-7, while Wellington Jaguars beat Southern California Nomads 26-15 as the group-stage action concluded.

With Shujaa, Morans and Forward Legends making their mark, attention now turns to the knockout stages of the three-day tournament, which runs until Sunday, October 11, at Nyayo National Stadium.

Safari7s Quarterfinal Fixtures:

Quarterfinal 1: French Renegades Vs Zimbabwe

Quarterfinal 2: Shogun Vs Wellington Jaguars

Quarterfinal 3: Kenya Morans Vs SportPesa Forward Legends

Quarterfinal 4: Kenya Shujaa Vs Wonder 7s