Accord Malkia Strikers the support they deserve
I spend my free time on weekends playing volleyball at Githurai Kimbo where I first came across this lovely sport that has impacted my life in so many ways.
On the rare occasions when volleyball is not on the menu, you’ll find me drinking an ice cold Balozi while enjoying some Mugithi music from the legendary Joseph Kariuki wa Kiarutara.
In one of his hit songs “No Ngai Wama”, Kariuki spits some lyrics that are packed with wisdom:
“ÚngÃona ÃkÃúrúrio ma ti nooru,ÃrÃa nooru ÃgúragÃrwo gÃathÃ. Nguthi ciaku wúúi nyaga itimú wakahare akuire agÃetha ngemi (If you see it being moved around, it’s certainly not good. The good ones don’t need to be moved around. Beauty fades so fast, you risk dying while trying to get famous).”
This song kept playing in my mind on Monday night while watching Sports Principal Secretary Jonathan Mueke’s interview on popular NTV sports show SportOn! Mueke, the accounting officer of the National Sports Fund, did not mince his words while explaining that the ministry is operating on a shoestring budget hence will only support national teams that are competitive enough to represent the country in various competitions.
“We need to figure out which sports we are good at as a country, which ones we are not there (at the top) yet but there is the potential of doing so, and which ones are easy to monetize,” said Mueke during the Monday show.
Bwana PS, it’s no brainer that Malkia Strikers has been one of the most consistent national teams in the past decade.
Currently ranked top of Africa and 30th in the global FIVB rankings, the girls are fresh from participating at both indoor and beach volleyball World Championships in Netherlands and Italy respectively last year.
Before that, in 2021 to be exact, Kenya had the rare honour of being the only African country to field a team at both indoor and beach volleyball during the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games thanks to Malkia Strikers.
Kenya’s performance at last year’s World Championship (indoor) was their best ever in seven appearances at the global competition. Finishing 19th out of 24 in Netherlands was historic and sufficient evidence that, with good preparations Malkia Strikers can match the best teams in the world.
The girls had the best preparations ever for a global championship last year thanks to support from FIVB Empowerment Programme, National Olympic Committee of Kenya and sponsors Mozzart Bet.
The went for a 10-week high performance training in Brazil and a week-long camp in Serbia where the team played international friendly matches.
Unfortunately, government’s support was conspicuously missing despite the World Championships being FIVB’s flagship competition.
This year, FIVB has knocked at Kenya’s doors once again and promised to support the team during its preparations for the FIVB Challenger Cup and African Nations Championships—all pathways to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Dear PS, government cannot afford to miss out on the journey to Paris. I believe facilitating the team’s travel and allowances for the two competitions which will be held in France and Cameroon is not a big ask.
Both competitions are key to Kenya qualifying for Paris Olympics since they will help Malkia Strikers garner ranking points and head to the French capital through the universality slot as Africa’s top ranked nation.
As Kariuki wa Kiarutara alludes, Malkia Strikers’ performance and track record speaks for itself. And going by Mueke’s barometer for state funding, they should no doubt be top of the priority list for this support from government.
It’s not by fluke that the girls are 10-time champions of Africa and government support should be commensurate not least for flying Kenya’s flag high with unmatched consistency.
Having conquered Africa, the focus now should be on making an impact at the global stage.
I’m convinced that if all stakeholders pull in the same direction, Malkia Strikers will soon break the ceiling by qualifying for the lucrative Volleyball Nations League and reaching the second round at either World Championships or Olympic Games.
Múnene, Malkia nà nooru reke ÃgúrÃrwo thà (Sir, Malkia is a good team, let’s give them the support they deserve). BY DAILY NATION



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