Allan Bush Lubutse doesn’t strike you as a typical headline-maker. Soft-spoken, measured, and still relatively young in the coaching ranks, he is quietly assembling one of the most formidable school rugby sides in the country, Kinale Girls High School from Kiambu County.
His journey into coaching began in 2021 at Giligil Township Secondary School. It wasn’t glamorous, but it laid the foundation. By 2023, he had guided the team to a 10th-place finish at the National 7s, a modest result on paper, but one that hinted at greater things to come.
“This journey hasn’t been easy,” Lubutse tells Two5four in an exclusive interview.
“But those are the moments that shape you as a coach.”
In June 2024, the Busia-born tactician made the switch to Kinale Girls High School, a move that would redefine both his career and the school’s rugby trajectory. He found a team rich in potential but still searching for identity. Within months, there was structure, belief, and a growing hunger.
His first major test came the same year, he took the school in Kisii for the KSSSA National Games, where Kinale made their maiden appearance on the big stage. They reached the final but fell narrowly, 10–7, to St Joseph’s Kitale (JOGA) in the 7s. The same opponents edged them again at the East Africa Games in Uganda, this time 8–5.
“Those losses hurt, I won’t lie,” he admits, “But they also showed the girls that we were close, that we could compete at that level.”
Kinale returned in 2025 stronger, sharper, and more composed. In Kakamega, they stormed to the National 7s title, clinching their maiden crown after defeating JOGA in the final, a statement victory that confirmed their arrival.
At the East Africa Games, they secured a third-place finish, another step forward in their steady rise.
By then, Bush had established a firm grip on the team not just tactically, but mentally.
“Belief is everything,” he told Two5four. “Once the girls started believing in themselves, everything else followed.”
Then came 2026, a defining chapter. With the introduction of the inaugural national 15s competition, Kinale once again rose to the occasion. In Kisumu, they delivered a commanding 25–5 victory over JOGA in the final to lift the historic title last week.
Just weeks earlier, they had also retained the Betika National Championship, walking away with a KSh 1.5 million cash prize, successfully defending a title they had already claimed the previous year.
But beyond the silverware, Bush is quick to acknowledge the pillars behind his journey.
“My biggest motivation comes from my family, my mother and my wife,” he says.
“They’ve stood by me through everything: the long trips, the pressure, the sacrifices. Every win we celebrate is for them too.”
It is this blend of humility and quiet conviction that defines him.
As Kinale Girls continue to set the pace in school rugby, Allan Bush remains focused, grounded, and far from satisfied. For a coach who only stepped into the role a few years ago, the trajectory is undeniable and if the past two seasons are anything to go by, this is only the beginning.
English