Four in a Row: Analysis on Why KCB Can't Break Menengai Oilers' Hold
Menengai Oilers piled misery on KCB yet again by dumping them out of the 2025 Impala Floodlights Tournament on 25th October. It was the fourth time that the Oilers have eliminated the Bankers in the knockout stage of the longer version of the game since the historic 24-17 win on March 5th, 2022, in the Kenya Cup semifinal.
Oilers proved that this was not a fluke by registering wins over KCB in the 2024 Floodlights quarterfinal and the 2025 Kenya Cup semifinal before confirming their dominance over the Bankers in this year’s Floodies.
So, how have the Menengai Oilers managed to dominate the 8-time Kenya Cup champions?
The watershed moment in the Oilers’ dominance over KCB came in the 2022 Kenya Cup semifinal, which laid the blueprint for their subsequent victories. The Bankers, the Kenya Cup holders and four-time champions, had home advantage and were favoured to proceed to a fifth final in a row.
Oilers, having made their Kenya Cup debut in the 2018/19 season, pulled a massive upset that effectively ended KCB’s reign in a tightly contested match. Oilers did not score a try but kept the scoreboard ticking via Geoffrey Ominde’s boot, who slotted 8/8 penalty kicks for a 24-point haul.
The Nakuru-based side matched KCB pound for pound in the physical exchanges as well as set pieces. This game plan has been effective for the Oilers and was on display in this year’s Floodies quarter-finals with some notable improvements.
Oilers Set Piece Dominance
Set-piece dominance is a cornerstone for any successful 15s team, and Menengai Oilers demonstrated that in their recent wins over KCB.
In the 2025 Impala Floodlights, Oilers won 4 scrum penalties to KCB's one penalty at the scrum. In the 2024/24 league phase match, KCB conceded 6 scrum penalties and 2 more in the semifinal.
In contrast, the Oilers conceded two scrum penalties in the regular season and none in the semifinal. Oilers have a solid scrum anchored by props such as Victor Were on the loosehead and Vincent Mwikali at the tight head side.
A reliable scrum allows them to win penalties and ease pressure by kicking for territory and setting up lineouts upfield to launch their attack. A solid scrum also guarantees front-foot ball to set up set-piece attacks and disrupt the quality of the ball from which the opponents attack.
Oilers have been excellent in the lineout, as their success in this set piece against KCB in the 2025 Floodies quarter-finals exemplifies. Oilers primarily jumped at the front and won 5 of their throws, but lost two.
Celestine Mboi and Fortune Arturo shared the workload at hooker and regularly found their target, converting territory kicks from penalties into attacking opportunities. Indeed, the Oilers were able to set up 3 mauls successfully and exert pressure on the Bankers’ defence.
KCB won 4/7 of their throws in the 2025 Floodies quarter-finals for a 57% success rate compared to the Oilers’ 8/11 win on their own throw for a 73% success rate. Set-piece dominance allows a team to dictate possession from the source.
Oilers use the set pieces to secure their own possession and to win the opponent’s ball, while disrupting KCB’s set pieces affects the quality of possession and makes the attack ineffective.
Fight for Territory
Territorial dominance is a vital factor in the Oilers' recent dominance over KCB. During the 2025 Floodies quarter finals, Oilers had 6 visits to KCB’s 22, double the figure the bankers could muster.
Oilers had 38 carries in KCB’s 22 and 15 carries within the halfway line, compared to the Bankers’ 10 and 11 carries in the opponent’s 22- and 50-metre lines, respectively.
Floodies Match Stats
Territorial dominance was also evident in the 2024/25 Kenya Cup semifinal, where Oilers made 14 and 28 carries within the 22 and 50 metres of KCB’s goal line.
In comparison, KCB made 9 and 24 carries within the same zones as their opponents. Territorial dominance stems from set-piece superiority, a better kicking strategy, and gain-line supremacy on both sides of the ball, areas where the Oilers have consistently demonstrated their expertise.
Winning the territorial battle allows a side to exert pressure, force mistakes, and take penalty kicks in the range of the kickers. Oilers have effectively used their territory ascendancy to good use in the 2024/25 Kenya Cup league phase match, semi-final, and 2025 Floodies quarter-finals against KCB. The successful penalty kicks for both sides were as follows:
Table 1: Successful penalty kicks
Oilers Growth under Gibson Weru
Menengai Oilers have dumped KCB from the Kenya Cup and Impala Floodlights in two consecutive seasons. Oilers are a relatively new side to the Kenya Cup, only making their debut in the 2018/19 season.
However, under the leadership of Gibson Weru, the team has been consistently improving. Gibson Weru has been with the side since its inception, providing stability, continuity, and clarity in coaching. KCB, on the other hand, has witnessed changes of guard with Curtis Olago, Oliver Mangeni, and Andrew Amonde at the helm between 2022 and now.
This transition can be disruptive due to changes in coaching philosophy, strategy, tactical approach, and the difference in the “voice” in the changing room. Class is said to be permanent, and KCB can be expected to bounce back in the future, but the moment now is Menengai Oilers’ to savour.
Gibson Weru’s side has established itself as a serious contender in the 15s version of the game, and their dominance over KCB in the recent past is a testament to their soaring credentials.
