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The KVF president leaves behind big shoes to fill following his rich legacy at the helm of Kenya Volleyball Federation
Long-serving Kenya Volleyball Federation boss Waithaka Kioni will be remembered as the man who helped put Kenyan volleyball on the global map.
Kioni breathed his last on Sunday morning following a short illness and leaves behind big shoes to fill for whoever will take over.
Even before his demise, Kioni was left with just weeks before he vacates office, having been in his final term ahead of the KVF elections scheduled for April 29.
Longest serving KVF boss
The 70-year-old was first elected chairman of the now defunct Kenya Volleyball Association in 1998 before it changed names to KVF two years later and has held the seat since.
Kioni easily retained his seat in subsequent elections until 2018 when he was elected for the final time, with his term ending after four years, following the enactment of a new constitution in 2014 which set a two-term limit of four years each.
Founded Kenya Pipeline
Kioni, who studied Public Administration at the University of Nairobi and worked at Standard Group between 1978 and 1979, joined Kenya Pipeline Company in 1980 where he served in the Public Relations department.
It was during his stint at the state corporation that Kioni helped form the Kenya Pipeline Volleyball Club in 1984.
The club has become a powerhouse in Kenya and Africa, winning six continental titles, while they have dominated on the local front, including winning the last crown which they claimed in January. Pipeline and Kenya Prisons would compete for local and continental honours down the years with KCB also proving a hard nut to crack.
Lifted women’s game
It was during Kioni’ tenure that Malkia Strikers became an African volleyball powerhouse while they were a permanent fixture in global games.
They have been crowned African champions five times since 2005 and won three gold medals, as many bronze and silver at the All-African Games between 1999 and 2011.
They made it to three Olympics Games (2000, 2004 and 2020) and while they have not fared well at global events, they have been to every World Championship since 1994.
Malkia Strikers hit heights unseen before in 2015 when they became the first team to lift an FIVB World Grand Prix gold medal after stunning Peru 3-1 in Group 3’s final in Canberra, Australia.
Controversial selection decisions
Kioni’s tenure was, however, not without its fair share of controversies with age used as a tool to punish ‘errant’ players.
In 2007, Dorcas Ndasaba was initially left out of Kenya’s team to the World Cup because she asked KVF to increase players’ allowances. After uproar from fans, KVF reinstated Ndasaba on the team.
The same year, Ndasaba, alongside Judy Serenge, and libero Mildred Odwako, were dropped from the team, a move KVF said was to introduce young players to carry the team to the Olympics.
It later emerged that a Sh1 million presidential award and wrangling among KVF officials was the cause of the decision.
In 2015, captain Brackides Agala and her assistant Janet Wanja were excluded from the squad for the Olympics qualifiers to ostensibly ‘allow younger players in’ but it later emerged that it was punishment for leading a go-slow over unpaid allowances during the Grand Prix.
Men’s game ‘forgotten’
While the women’s game went further up, the men’s side did not enjoy such heights and Kioni’s regime was often accused of paying to much attention to Malkia strikers at the expense of their male counterparts.
Malkia strikers inked a number of multimillion sponsorship deals while the men’s side had to contend with meagre resources, leading to poor performances.
Rally fan
Unbeknown to many, Kioni was also an ardent rally fan after his two sons joined the Kenya National Rally Championship. David Kioni is a rally driver and his brother Mwangi Kioni, popularly known as Mwas, is a navigator. Mwas is McRae Kimath's regular co-driver.
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