Court Sets February 2026 Retrial Date for Jailed Rugby Players in Gang Rape Case

The long-running gang rape case involving former Kenya Sevens rugby stars Alex Olaba and Frank Wanyama has taken a new turn after a Nairobi court fixed February 9, 2026, as the date for their retrial.

Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Rose Ndombi issued the directive on Thursday, also ordering that Olaba, who is currently serving a separate six-year sentence for threatening a witness, be escorted to hospital for urgent medical treatment.

“The prison authorities are hereby directed to escort Olaba to hospital for treatment. This case will be heard on February 9, 2026,” Ms Ndombi ruled after the defence informed the court that the player was unwell. The prosecution did not object to the application.

Olaba and Wanyama were in 2019 convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison for gang raping a woman, identified in court records as K.A., in February 2018.

However, Justice Grace Kariuki, then of the High Court and now a Court of Appeal judge, quashed the conviction in June 2020, citing flaws in the proceedings, and ordered a fresh trial before a different magistrate.

Before the retrial could commence, Olaba was arrested and later convicted for threatening to kill a key witness in the case, leading to his six-year prison term in 2023.

He also received an additional two-year sentence for defeating justice.

He has since lodged an appeal, faulting the trial court for what he terms as misapplication of the law and reliance on weak prosecution evidence.

In his petition, Olaba argues that the complainant, K.A., was never called to testify in the trial where he was convicted of making threats, yet the court admitted a victim impact assessment statement allegedly prepared on her behalf.

He further accuses prosecution witnesses of being contradictory and unreliable.

Olaba insists he is dissatisfied with the verdict delivered by Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo in May 2023, maintaining that the evidence presented did not support the charges.

The retrial of the high-profile rape case, which once shocked Kenya’s sporting fraternity, will now resume in early 2026, nearly eight years after the alleged offence.