Uganda premiership side Heathens Rugby Club have announced their new technical bench, ushering in a new era under newly appointed head coach Tolbert Onyango.
Onyango was officially unveiled as head coach on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, taking over from Muhammad Athiyo, who brought his nine-year tenure to a close. The club has now confirmed the full technical team that will support Onyango in steering the side forward.
Supporting Onyango in his new role are Allan Otim, who takes charge of strength and conditioning as first assistant coach; Alex Mubiru, who will handle the forwards as second assistant coach; and Emmanuel Katuntu, tasked with managing the backs as third assistant coach.
A highly respected figure in Ugandan rugby, Onyango brings close to two decades of coaching experience from his time with Uganda’s men’s national 7s team.
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He has guided the national side through multiple World Rugby 7s Series appearances, Africa 7s tournaments—winning the title four times—two Rugby World Cup 7s campaigns, three Olympic Repêchages, the Commonwealth Games, African Games, Safari 7s, and several other international tournaments.
Despite his longstanding commitment to the national 7s side, Onyango has remained closely connected to the Heathens. A former Kenya 7s international, he featured for and captained the club in the early 2000s. Over the years, he has continued to lend his expertise to the team during local competitions whenever possible.
Heathens technical bench is now complete and their first assignment will be the National 7s Series, a familiar battleground where Heathens enter as defending champions. With Onyango at the helm and a solid support team behind him, the club is poised to maintain its dominance on the domestic scene.
