Dominique Habimana aka Papa is no stranger to the Kenya Rugby fraternity. He has had a long and successful career both inside the 70 by 100 grid and outside. He has been at the helm of two former Kenya Cup champions Kenya Harlequins and Topfry Nakuru RFC as well as deputizing both Ian Snook and Jerome Parwaters in the Kenya Simbas dugout.
In High School, we used to have guest coaching sessions where a coach from the club (Nakuru RFC) would pass by for a session or two. One day it was his turn and the things he taught us especially the forwards linger in my mind to date. I dare say that part of the reason we made it to East African games the next year was because of what we learned that day.
Fast forward to 2015 and he gave me my first shot at first-team footy in the inaugural Titans Cup match against then Enterprise cup winners KCB. That very same season I made my Kenya Cup debut.
“Always play rugby where you are, even if it’s not here.”-Mwangi Muthee
Today, I got to interview a man I have so much respect and admiration for. Here is how it panned out.
The Maverick: Before diving into coaching, you were a brilliant player. For how many years did you run out as a player?
Habimana: I played for 25 years; my last season was in 2008.
The Maverick: How many clubs did you turn out for?
Habimana: My first club was Mwamba back when I was a student at USIU. Since we were quite a number of us (classmates) at Mwamba, we decided to put our efforts together and create our team. That is how we became founding members of USIU RFC. I joined Kenya Harlequins after graduation.
The Maverick: What do you remember about your time at Mwamba?
Habimana: Mwamba was a great time. One of the best lessons in life was taught to us by Mwangi Muthee at the time. He was a senior player at the Club and Kenya as well, we approached him about some advice on how to “start something” at the University. He inspired us with “Always play rugby where you are, even if it’s not here.” So off we went and founded USIU RFC.
The Maverick: When did you start coaching?
Habimana: I started coaching while still a player in 2000
The Maverick: You have been a Coach for two big clubs, Topfry Nakuru and Kenya Harlequins, tell us about the experience?
Habimana: It’s been a fantastic experience. Being a curious guy, it’s really rewarding to learn and teach something every day, come rain or sunshine.
The Maverick: You have won almost everything on the local scene as a Coach, talk of Kenya Cup, Enterprise Cup, Bamburi Rugby Super Series, Titans Cup, and even oversaw Gibu and the boys win the 7s gong for the first time in Nakuru’s history. Did you experience the same success as a player?
Habimana: As a player, my first club accolade was Kenya Cup 1999 with Kenya Harlequins. As a Coach it’s been great to work with such different clubs as Kenya Harlequins and Nakuru, but which had so much in common in terms of history and culture. Same thing for Super Series with Rhinos and Ndovu. Great people.
The Maverick: How many Kenya Cup titles do you have both as a player and coach?
Habimana: Around four. A blessing for sure, but it’s always a team that wins.
The Maverick: USIU RFC is proving to be a hub of talent with Call Ups to the Kenya Simbas and Uganda Cranes. The likes of Jacob Ojee have also gone through USIU. Looks like your efforts are proving to be a masterstroke.
Habimana: USIU is a great University, and that experience was amazing. It shaped so much of how I see and do things. At the very beginning, when we approached our then Director, the late Dr. Beam for support of our proposed club, she replied in that unique USIU way: She said she would support us fully if we produced both a Rugby sports plan and a Rugby business plan. She was a brilliant lady.
The Maverick: You are known to be a very youth-oriented coach, seen in Nakuru, Quins last season, and even during your tenure as Kenya Simbas assistant coach; a lot of young guys came through the system. Young guys have a special place in your heart…
Habimana: Youth and Sport are so closely related. You see it in the expression of hopes and dreams, as well as learning life skills through values such as Respect, Integrity, Passion, Solidarity, and Discipline. So, I always make sure young guys and girls have a clear and good path in their development because, at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about
The Maverick: Away from the game, You are a Management Information Systems expert… What does it entail?
Habimana: As a field, it can best be described by one of its many functions/roles within an organization: Business Intelligence. The difference between Management Information Systems and Computer Science is like the difference between Accounting and Finance. Closely related, but distinct fields in a profession
The Maverick: You have worked hard in your field, MIS. You have worked with UNEP and now your hand2cloud, Does this show the importance of building yourself outside rugby too?
Habimana: Off the field is the other half of sport, so in the same way, we train hard in the games we love, we also study hard in the career fields we love. We do all this with the people we love, and then life is complete.
The Maverick: If you had not played rugby, what other sport would you have played?
Habimana: Growing up I played quite a few games, but having first reached 100kgs when I was 15, Rugby was the best option (giggles). But I liked Decathlon, where you work hard on many different parts of your body and keep improving in each of the 10 disciplines.
The Maverick: Who were your fiercest opponents during your playing days?
Habimana: A long list of Ulinzi RFC guys. They were ruthless but a lot of fun on and off the pitch.
The Maverick: What do you think needs to be done for us to see USIU in the Kenya Cup? They’ve faltered several times in the championship playoffs
Habimana: USIU did make it to Kenya Cup once, I think. However, this is generally a common University Rugby issue. By their nature, Universities have very cyclical squads, who usually mature as players just as they are graduating, and go on to Club and in very many cases National Teams.
So, as University management, one option is to plan to nurture and retain players up to Masters level, with scholarships, on-campus work, etc. which is something they can do.
Secondly, they can create their own Varsity Competition that would be better suited to the cyclical nature of their squads. This is more in line with the Universities’ calling, which is to prepare students for life and career, and then they would also prepare them for Club and Test rugby.
The Maverick: We Saw Quins advertise the position of head coach, are we seeing you back there or in any other management position soon?
Habimana: The beginning of last season was a bit of an unsettled one at Kenya Harlequins, with Cardovillis resigning and other issues, so I helped out in that transition time, as I always would.
The Maverick: National Team Head Coach someday? You’ve been a forwards coach before; do you have plans to go for the top job?
Habimana: For now, kina Paul (Odera) are doing a great job and I’m for them 100%
The Maverick: Finally, what do you think of how the local Coaching scene is growing? Do we have a new crop of risk-taking Coaches and is it paying dividends in the growth of new energetic and talented youngsters on the world stage and test rugby?
Habimana: On one hand, some things such as Values in Rugby haven’t changed since William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it. On the other hand, so many facets of the Game have changed since last year’s World Cup. I love that there is a continuous stream of young and upcoming coaches who are very curious to learn all these things and provide a fresh take on the new stuff, and also come up with new solutions to keep the game moving forward. You and so many of your age mates are part of this growth in the Game, and that’s why I’m so excited about what the new dawn will bring.
You might be wondering what all his accomplishments look like. Well, they are too many to list, so just go ahead and click the link below.
