TRIBUTE: The Janet Wanja I knew, smile in heaven, queen!

Grief and outpouring of emotion have been in plenty – thick and fast - since the light was switched off on the vibrant life of Janet Wanja Mungai, easily Kenya’s best and most decorated volleyball player since the turn of the last two decades.

Many have extolled the virtues she stood for and more so her conquest and prowess on the volleyball court - an area she prowled like a colossus and made her impact and presence felt, since making her debut, at just 17!

To say that Queen Wanja was a great volleyballer is an insult to her memory and the sport she loved. She was a maestro, a queen of the court.  She loved volleyball and the sport loved her back. She loved the media and the media loved her back. She loved humanity and humanity loved her back.

The avalanche of grief, shock, and dismay that greeted her death is just a sneak peek into the soul she was: warm, jolly, with a radiant smile that was ever present.

But first, let me give context to what a towering giant the sport has lost and why Kenyan women volleyball – the best performing team sport alongside men’s rugby sevens –Shujaa  is much, much poorer with her departure.

Wanja, going by her height and impeccable volleyball skills was a delight to watch. In her position as a setter she was one of the key players if not the star of the show – both at club level [Pipeline] and at the national women’s team, too. Alongside her pal Jane Wacu they not only became the face of the country’s volleyball but also the face of Malkia Strikers. You mentioned volleyball and two graceful ladies came to mind. And with grace, poise and elegance they served with distinction.

And it was not just about playing the game; Wanja won medals and titles while at it, at club and national level. Winning 10 African Club Championships – equivalent to CAF Champions league – a feat our football clubs can only dream of is no mean task. Add this to the four National League Volleyball Championships and the fact that for the better part of her reign, Kenya – Malkia Strikers - was the best women’s volleyball team in Africa then you understand the weight of a giant snatched from our midst, at just 40, when life actually begins!

And it is not just local and continental accolades that she won. Wanja died as an Olympian. She competed valiantly at this stage including the 2004 edition in Athens Greece while also prowling the court at the 2006 Women’s Volleyball World Championships in Japan, when Kenya was under the tutelage of Japanese coach Sadatoshi Sugawara.

To understand her contribution to the game, let me juxtapose. She is in the same league as Dennis Oliech, the man who took Harambee Stars to the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations Finals and McDonald Mariga in football. She is in the same league as Collins Injera [in the rugby sevens] and In the same league as Eliud Kipchoge and Faith Kipyegon in athletics.

She was our foremost volleyball Olympian, a multiple African champion, the most important player for Malkia Strikers during her reign. Alongside other decorated volleyballers such as Wacu, Brackcides Agala, Violet Makuto, Mercy Moim - they formed the core of the team in the last 15 years. That is the giant that Mukumu Girls bequeathed us.

Unbeknownst to many, the prowess of Wanja not only shone on the court but off it too. She had great culinary skills – something I had a unique privilege to witness and sample.

As young professionals – Danson Kago – former Tusker FC and Mathare United FC winger, Wanja and I had a cordial relationship and our close proximity saw us share a lot more so on sports. At Cabana Apartments where we all stayed at the time, we took pride to be the first tenants of this immaculately built apartment. We took pride in the beautifully designed American open-plan kitchen and the fact that we all occupied the third floor – the upper most floor [we were as proud as peacocks]. From the comfort of our balconies we could take a gaze at the cars speeding on the Thika Superhighway, which was directly facing our bloc and could steal occasional gazes at the guests making their way to the building. Kago occupied the apartment next to mine on this floor and Wanja the extreme end.

Her impressive culinary skills augmented her taste for class, fashion, and elegance. She took time to invest in her looks, from her hair to wardrobe. She was an easy-going girl and lived her life to the fullest. This is a part that I appreciated about her – she was authentic and athletic and did not shy away from putting her mouth where her money was.

Her taste for fine things is best captured by the length she went to make her apartment cosy. While a majority of us were contented by the themed wall colours, she remodeled hers to fit her taste, doing away with the charcoal grey and silky-white colours that plastered the walls of our apartments too her own choice… and on the walls of her apartment …one just needed to steal a glance to see the successes she had realized on the court. The many medals and trophies she won decorated this space - neatly arranged. They were fruits of her labour and here they were displayed as an emblem. The pain she had gone defending the country’s flag, at times under horrible conditions notwithstanding.

Though gone, I take pride and grateful to have had the rare opportunity to have this unique front row view of Wanja the legend. She also had a big heart and deep, deep love for her nephews and nieces. She gladly played the auntie role whenever she had the opportunity but also moulded her last born sister with great love.

Through my interactions with her and some of her siblings, I have reason to believe she was the most outgoing of them all. If the clock could be rolled back I'd surely be happy to relieve the Cabana days – Kago and Queen Wanja made for good company!

I mourn a friend and a legend, a fine volleyball specimen that has been snatched from our midst too soon.

To Wanja’s dear parents, Kevin Kimani, siblings, friends and associates, be comforted.

Finally, Wanja, you longed and hoped for one thing, you prayed for it, but it eluded you…I pray that you find it in heaven. May your radiant smile shine on, Queen Wanja! Fare thee well.