Donations Sought to Help Benjamin Ayimba

Donations Sought to Help Benjamin Ayimba

Kenya highly respected rugby coach Benjamin Ayimba, who is also a former Kenya 7s and 15s captain, is fighting for his life in hospital following a bout of cerebral malaria.

As a player, it will be remembered that flanker Benjamin signed for the Pirates of Penzance & Newlyn RFC in 2004, along with fellow Kenyan Oscar Osir, who was a winger. The pair also enjoyed a loan spell at Redruth RFC.

Critically ill, Benjamin’s ailment has kept him away from the public eye since the start of 2021 and currently admitted in HDU he cannot recognise or speak to anyone. Having exhausted medical insurance, his family needs to urgently raise KSh. 2.5 million (£17,000) to offset the medical bill.

Cornish Pirates’ personnel, including Dicky Evans and joint head coaches Gavin Cattle and Alan Paver, have responded to help Benjamin by donating to the GoFundMe campaign ‘Former Rugby Coach Benjamin Ayimba Medical Appeal’. For more information and to make a donation please link to: https://gofund.me/4562015b

In 2018, Gavin and Alan visited Kenya and attended the Nondies rugby club where in earlier years Benjamin played. They attended a session and spoke to the team’s players and coaches.

Gavin, who hopes that ‘the family of rugby’ will respond to help Benjamin at this time, has commented:

Along with Oscar, Benjamin came to the Pirates to gain extra experience quite late in his playing career, but it proved very worthy, and they were able to take that back to Kenya where success, particularly on the 7s circuit, has been achieved on the world stage.

Benjamin is a lovely, humble man, and sorry to hear that he is so unwell any donations made will no doubt be greatly appreciated.

(Photographs displayed include one of Benjamin playing for Kenya and of him in a Pirates 2005 team photograph – sat third left in the front row)