Newly appointed Impala coach Louis Kisia targets a top-six finish in the Kenya Cup, which starts in November.
Speaking Tuesday, the former Mwamba and Strathmore Leos coach said he believes the club, who return to the top tier this season, can achieve the target.
He is counting on support from the players, management and fans.
“I am delighted to have been appointed as the coach of this great club. My ambition is to ensure we are in the playoffs come the end of the season,” said Kisia.
Kisia replaces Malik Ndemi, who guided the team to second place behind the South Coast Pirates in the Championship last season and, thus, promotion.
The 10-time Kenya Cup champions got relegated in the 2023-2024 season after finishing 11th.
Kisia will leverage his experience from coaching Mwamba and Strathmore to get the best out of the team.
“At Strathmore, we got relegated and when we got promoted, we made the Kenya Cup semifinals in two consecutive seasons. Impala's pool of players is better, older and more mature with no age limits. It gives me a good foundation for the upcoming season,” added Kisia.
Kisia's first test will come at the pre-season Floodlit tournament where he expects the team to be in good shape after a six to eight weeks pre-season.
“We start our pre-season this week with strength and conditioning and instilling in the players the brand of rugby we need to play for the upcoming season,” observed Kisia.
The Kenya Sevens assistant coach will work with the current squad until the mid-season transfer window in December.
Jackson Katunga will assist Kisia while Gilbert Otieno was named the team manager.
Caleb Muturi is the strength and conditioning coach while Washington Okello will be the Impala II coach, assisted by Chris Majale.
Mary Ochieng will coach the women's side, also known as the Roans.
Anthony Nyandigisi will be Kisia's assistant in the Sevens team.
