Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) has confirmed that Paul Odera has stepped down from his role as head coach of the men’s national 15s rugby team, Kenya Simbas. In a statement released by the rugby body on a Tuesday afternoon July 27th, KRU formally accepted the resignation of the head coach while thanking him for his tenure with KRU that saw him take charge of the Kenya U20 side commonly referred to as Chipu and most recently the Simbas.
“The Kenya Rugby Union Board has accepted Paul Odera's resignation from his role as Head Coach of the Kenya Men's National Fifteens Team, The Simbas. The Kenya Rugby Union would like to extend its sincere thanks to Paul for his exemplary service during his time with the Kenya U20s and most recently, the Simbas. We wish him well in his future pursuits,” the statement read.
The gaffer's resignation comes just sixteen days after leading the Simbas in the just concluded Rugby Africa Cup 2021 where the squad finished in second place behind Senegal in pool B to successfully secure a quarter final matchup where they will clash with the Ugandan cranes for a slot at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The former Under 19 coach was named as Simbas coach back in 2019 and tasked to lead the team to France 2023 after New Zealander Ian Snook and KRU parted ways following the 2019 Rugby World Cup miss.