Kenya races against time to deliver venues for African Volleyball Champs

The Kasarani Indoor Arena and Ulinzi Sports Complex are currently undergoing renovations to host the biennial championship set for August 23 to September 5 in Nairobi.

Kenya is hosting the championship for the first time since 2015 when Malkia Strikers, under the tutelage of David Lung'aho, defeated Algeria 3-0 sets to lift the title at Kasarani.

The tournament will feature 16 teams and serves as a qualification pathway for both the 2027 FIVB Women's World Championship in Poland and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Malkia Strikers will be seeking a record-extending 11th title on home soil after defeating Egypt 3-0 sets to win the 2023 edition and end Cameroon’s eight-year dominance.

According to Bitok, the Kasarani Indoor Arena will serve as the main venue, hosting the opening ceremony, the primary competition matches, and the final.

Work at the secondary venue, the Ulinzi Sports Complex, is progressing rapidly after standing at below 50-percent completion a month ago, Kenya Defence Forces engineers are currently working around the clock to deliver the facility within a tight deadline.

“Kasarani will be our main venue for the competition. We have our second venue, the Ulinzi Complex, which was below 50% one month ago but I want to report today that work is going on.

“KDF managed to get sponsorship to ensure the place is ready. They are working 24 hours and we are expecting to receive the venue at the end of this month or the beginning of next month,” said Bitok.

The former Malkia Strikers coach also reported that the second joint inspection by the African Volleyball Confederation(CAVB) delegation is scheduled for the first week of August, during which the CAVB president Bouchra Hajij will officially launch the tournament logo and competition.

"We will have the African president who will be coming here to launch our logo and the tournament when she comes for the second inspection," he added.

Additionally, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) president Fabio Azevedo has formally confirmed attendance for the final in Nairobi, which confirms total support from outside the country.

"We also want to confirm that the FIVB president has written to us and confirmed that he is going to be here during the finals."

On the pitch, defending champions Malkia Strikers will hit camp July 28 as head coach Geoffrey Omondi has already submitted a 25-player squad to begin non-residential training at Kasarani.

“I don't have much to say regarding the coach's side, what I can report is that the coach has sent us his 25-player squad,” Bitok explained.

“These 25 players will report for training on the 28th, starting training, whereby they are expecting to trim the team after 10 days, go through another 10 days and name the final squad one week before the competition.”

Initial plans for a pre-tournament friendly tour in Serbia were scrapped after failing to secure warm-up opponents, meaning the national team will complete its entire build-up in Nairobi.

After five days of non-residential training, the squad will then enter a residential training camp at Kasarani, starting August 1 to finalise their preparations.

“Earlier, we had expected to go to Serbia to see if we could get friendly matches as our sponsor was ready to take us there. However, we could not get friendly matches to play against them so our training will take place right here in Kenya,” added Bitok.

“This year we have been fortunate because players have been very active with many competitions taking place. The task now is bringing them together.”

Bitok has also highlighted that the selection blends experienced stars with vibrant young talent, including recent African Championship breakout player Malyne Terry Tata.

Kenya currently tops the African rankings and sits 21st globally with 172 points, ahead of main rivals Cameroon with 58 points and Egypt, which has 46 points.

The team accumulating the highest points cushion by the end of this championship will secure Africa's sole qualification ticket to LA 2028.

“If you look at the rankings, we are number 21 in the world and currently number one in Africa. This tournament here will decide who represents Africa at the 2028 Olympics,” emphasised Bitok.