Gor Mahia will tonight face Rwandan giants Rayon FC in the CECAFA Kagame Cup final in Kigali, as we chase a fourth title in the regional competition and our triumph since 1985.

As we contest another final outside our borders, Gor Mahia’s history against Rwandan opposition provides an intriguing backdrop to the final.

Our first competitive meeting with a Rwandan side came in 1988, when we faced Mukura Victory in the first round of the African Cup Winners’ Cup, the predecessor to the CAF Confederation Cup. We proved too strong, securing identical 1-0 victories home and away to progress to the next round.

Since then, we have faced Rwandan opposition 11 times in competitive matches, recording four wins, three draws and four defeats. In those encounters, we have scored 17 goals while conceding 16, underlining just how evenly matched these contests have generally been.

Our most recent meeting with Rwandan opposition came in emphatic fashion, however, as we produced one of our outstanding performances of the ongoing Kagame Cup by thrashing APR 5-0 in the group stage.

*Rayon FC: A Familiar Opponent*

Tonight’s opponents, Rayon FC, are no strangers to K’Ogalo. We have officially faced the Rwandan giants three times, with all three meetings coming in 2018.

The first was in the CECAFA Kagame Cup, while the other two encounters came in the CAF Confederation Cup. Our record against Rayon currently stands at three matches, two draws and one defeat.

With the overall record against Rwandan opposition finely balanced, tonight’s final promises another closely contested encounter.

For Gor Mahia, however, the stakes are much bigger than another chapter in the rivalry. A victory would deliver the club’s fourth CECAFA Kagame Cup crown, ending a wait that stretches back to 1985 and adding another piece of silverware to the trophy cabinet of the reigning Kenyan champions.