The 2019 Rugby World Cup winner, Tendai Mtawarira will grace the upcoming World Rugby Under-20 Trophy at the Nyayo National Stadium as the chief guest.
Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) chairman, Alexander Mutai, revealed the exciting news during a media briefing at the Nairobi National Park.
Having earned an impressive tally of 117 caps while representing the South African national 15's side, the Springboks, Mtawarira's presence at the tournament is highly anticipated.
Mtawarira, also known as 'The Beast' will be in Nairobi from July 27-30.
Kenya's Under-20 team, also known as Chipu, will kick off their campaign against Samoa in the tournament opener on July 15.
Chipu's strength and conditioning coach, Motto Williams, expressed his belief that Mtawarira's presence will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the team.
Williams stated, "Every rugby 15's player dreams of representing the country in the Rugby World Cup one day. Mtawarira's presence will definitely motivate the players to dream and achieve more as he is not only a World Cup winner but was also tasked to represent South Africa in presenting the Webb Ellis Cup (Rugby World Cup trophy) to the 2023 Rugby World Cup hosts, France."
"He is a big role model not only to props but also players in other positions on the field especially those of African descent," he added. KRU boss, Mutai announced their collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife Service to push the sports tourism agenda.
"This is a new phase at the KRU and we want to take rugby to new heights and we have to start with the youth. Hosting the World Rugby Under-20 Trophy shows that World Rugby have a lot of confidence in Kenya," said Mutai.
Chipu will start their residential camp at Kasarani as they beef up preparations for the tournament.
Mutai reiterated his manifesto stating, "We want to involve the government, parastatals, and the private sector to professionalise rugby in the country. We want to bring down the rate of unemployment and bring in more rugby players into the tax bracket."
Regular tickets will retail at Sh300 while VIP tickets will be Sh1000. Students in school uniforms will be allowed free access.