Kenya Rugby Mourns Death Of KCB Fullback Tony Onyango Opondo

NAIROBI, Kenya- Kenya Commercial Bank RFC fullback Tony Onyango passed away on Tuesday morning after collapsing in his Ngong home from training, Kenya Rugby Union confirmed.

Onyango represented Kenya national teams at all levels in the Under 19’s Chipu during the Africa Under-19 Championship in Abidjan, Ivory Coast before earning a call up to the Kenya 15s team in 2012 under the then tutelage of Mike ‘Tank’ Otieno, featuring in the Elgon Cup against Uganda.

“We join the entire Kenyan rugby fraternity in mourning Tony Onyango Opondo of KCB Rugby Club who passed away on Tuesday 3 March 2020. May God grant his family,friends, team mates and colleagues strength during this trying time. Rest In Peace Tony,” Kenya Rugby Union mourned.

Onyango, who featured for Kenya Sevens and Kenya 15s, then became a regular under Jerome Paarwater, playing for the Simbas utill 2018 at the Rugby World Cup Repechage tournament in Marseille,France.

In the Kenya Sevens, Onyango played during the 2013/14 and 2014/15 World Series seasons under Paul Treu and Felix ‘Totty’Ochieng and was also part of the East African Elgon Warriors that played against England Counties in Kampala and Nairobi in 2012.

An alumnus of Maseno School ,Tony first played for Resolution Impala Saracens RFC before joining Strathmore Leos RFC and was part of the Leos squad that reached the 2012/13 Kenya Cup Final.

He moved to Homeboyz where he won the 2016 National Sevens Circuit before moving to KCB where he was part of the squad that beat Kabras 23-15 in last season’s Kenya Cup final in Kakamega.

Onyango leaves behind a wife, Maria and son Shane.