11th Nov, 2016

When a couple of well-built young men walked into the Lions’ Den and performed a ‘Haka’ , you knew that passion was going to be on display. For Peter and Felix, their passion for the ruffian’s sport played by gentlemen was clear to see.

It is this passion that has given rise to their unique publishing idea: The Rugbydicted Magazine. For Peter Kilonzo, currently playing winger or second five eight for KCB’s Rugby team, publishing a Rugby magazine was a natural consequence of playing the sport he loves.

The travelling, being at the centre of the action and observing first-hand the melting pot of the Kenyan Rugby culture has put him in a unique position to provide an authentic voice to the story.

Enter Felix Musyoka, the confident, hilarious other half of Rugbydicted. Felix describes himself as an essayist,  a comedian, and he is correct to a tee. When he gets going about his vision for Rugbydicted, to tell the Kenyan Rugby story to the world it is easy to see the belief he has in their project.

It is easy to see their synergy, with Felix being naturally the more vocal and the more unguarded of the two, while Peter exhibits a quiet self-assurance, coupled with a determination to do well that originates from total belief in his, and their God-given abilities.

“I enjoy playing rugby, talking about rugby, and I believe it was God-given, so I just need to write what I see,” Peter says.

When they saw the throngs of young Kenyans who would flock to watch Kenya Cup games, as well as the faithful fans who follow the Kenya sevens team wherever they compete, they realized there was an opportunity for both the players and the fans.

“There is big economic potential, which we’re not exploiting”, Felix says.  Alluding to the fact that the Kenyan Rugby talent pool has the potential to generate income for many young Kenyan men and women as well as promotion opportunities for the country as a destination.

Rugbydicted is set to become the first and only Rugby-focused, local magazine by Kenyans for everyone and is a great example of how passion and purpose come off victorious, on and off the pitch.

For their pitch, they got Ksh1 million for 40 per cent of their business from publishing guru Olive Gachara and owner of one of Kenya’s rugby teams Homeboyz Rugby Myke Rabar, setting them on the path to the realization of their dream.

They have a two-pronged approach to distribution.  They will push both a hard copy option geared toward the local (Kenya) audience and a digital option to target markets further afield.

With the partnership from Olive and Myke, they hope to get some advertising, as well as marketing to back their efforts.

What did they think of their performance in the Lions’ Den?

“We came in prepared, and faced the lions and we got the funding, It was a good experience” Peter remarked. And alluding to their genuine urge, Felix said. “We didn’t rehearse at home-just be the comedian, and I’ll do the entrepreneurship and we’ll be fine’”.

“If you have a passion for something, you should have the confidence to do it” Peter finishes with unassuming confidence, further endearing himself to others.