From Dorest to Kibera – The Nick Williams Tour

Sport has the power to connect people from different backgrounds, inspire future leaders, and build strong communities. This came to life during a recent visit from former professional rugby star Nick Williams. His journey across Nairobi with DBA Africa was a true celebration of rugby, culture, and community, making a lasting impression on everyone he met.

Nick’s tour began within 90 minutes of landing at the DBA Africa Nairobi Academy at Kenton College, where he was touched by the joy and determination of our young athletes. He saw children come to training without shoes or in mismatched clothes, but as soon as they put on their DBA kit, they became a united team. This moment showed what our mission is all about: rugby provides kids with a safe, empowering place where their backgrounds don’t matter and their potential shines. 

Nick travelled into the heart of Kibera, where many of our academy athletes live. He was privileged to be welcomed into the homes of two of our standout Nairobi academy players, Freddie Okoth and Danvas Mwangi. Interacting directly with their parents, guardians, and siblings offered Nick an invaluable perspective on the daily realities, triumphs, and profound resilience of these families. For the families and neighbours, hosting a sporting icon in their homes was an unforgettable moment of validation and shared hope.

One of the main highlights of the trip was coach education, which is a key part of our organisation. Our coaches are former players who mentor our youth, so it’s important to keep their skills sharp for long-term success. 

Drawing from his own rich background, moving from rugby league to rugby union, and reflecting on how his Samoan heritage and upbringing in Auckland mirror many African traditions, Nick brought a wealth of knowledge to the field. To make the most of Nick’s visit, we invited any rugby coach from the academies in Nairobi. He conducted an incredibly insightful technical session for twenty coaches from Nairobi and Western. The engagement was so intense and the coaches extremely eager to absorb his expertise that the session ran late into the evening.

The next day, Nick visited the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy. Contrary to their name KGSA play all sports and have a strong group of rugby players. Coaching in Kibera was another powerful and eye-opening experience for him. He was very impressed by the girls’ athleticism, energy, and enthusiasm and the resourceful way they have turned the top of their boarding facility, into a netted astroturf for sport. At the end of his mid-week tour, Nick watched a friendly match between two international schools as one of the reasons to travel to Kenya, was to enlighten international families to the opportunities for their child at Bryanston for secondary school. This was a big contrast to what he had seen in Kibera and showed how important sports are for equity, inclusion, and opportunity.

The tour ended with an exciting weekend at the Ndume 7s rugby tournament, which featured U13 boys’ and girls’ rugby. Nick took on many roles. He spent time in the Bryanston tent talking with prospective parents and students who wanted to learn more about the school. During breaks, he walked the fields, giving helpful advice and encouragement to the young players from the academy teams.

Nick’s visit was a huge success, un-rivelled knowledge, technical growth, and inspiration to our players, coaches, and the wider Kenyan rugby community. Not to mention the amount of rugby kit he brought over, of which we were able to give some to other academies in need too. We are very grateful for his generosity and are committed to growing more outreach and mentorship programmes like this in the future.

Watch Nick Williams full tour here.