Conjestina: Star who shone then quickly dimmed

Renowned former female boxer Congestina Achieng waiting to be attended to at Kisumu District Hospital on October 25 2016 . Congestina was taken for treatment at the hospital by well wishers who become concerned with her deteriorating condition. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

?When she became the first African to clinch an international title as the middleweight champion in the Women’s International Boxing Federation (WIBF), she was nicknamed “hands of stone”.

Conjestina Achieng’ dominated media space, with her promoters trying to slot in interviews and endorsements in her busy schedule for companies that fought to have her as a brand. For Kenya she was a star; an icon that had earned her position in history as a woman who dared get into a game dominated by men.