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.

“She loved her thing. Boxing was her passion, and she was one of the most dedicated people I have worked with,” says her former coach Julius Odhiambo, reminiscing about Conjestina’s past glory.

In the ring, she was brutal, fast and calculating. Her opponents feared her blow, with some bowing out before end of matches. The wins were many, punctuated by camera clicks and curious boxers who wondered how she does it.

“Practice. Practice and more practice…and then you go in and fight like a champion,” she told media when asked how she managed to win four world titles under different weight categories.

She never took a rest, even though boxing rules indicate that after a main match, a boxer must take about two months before another game. Her promoters seemed to have ignored the rule and allowed her to play on even when it became apparent that she was pushing herself too much.

Sources close to her say she demanded to be allowed into the ring. Her promoters obliged.

“She was showing signs of stress and depression, but people assumed she was being arrogant. They thought the fame was getting into her head,” said one of her acquaintances.

Gidraph Maina of Infinity Kings Promoters that works with boxers says ideally, she should have taken breaks.

“She was playing titles and other fights in between. It must have been straining,” he says.

Even though she was a champion, she had no medical team to check on her before getting into the match.

Odhiambo however insists Conjestina took well deserved breaks and only bounced back when she felt ready.

“People are talking about what they don’t know. She could not have been allowed to play without breaks,” he says.

The recent images of an emaciated Conjestinathat appeared on social media before she was airlifted to Nairobi for treatment contradict the ones that once defined her: fluid, cheerful and confident.

“When she landed and there were people waiting for her, I saw a smile sneak on her face. It was the first one I had seen in so many days since she started ailing,” says Winnie Augo, who volunteered to accompany her to Nairobi.

Rural home

She has been in contact with the former boxer’s family since news of her illness went viral seven years ago.

“At first, people were saying she is dead. I decided to go to her rural home and was surprised at what I found,” she says.

Augo admits that even though there have been many appeals to save Conjestina, they have not been successful because the ex-boxer still finds it hard to reconcile her past life of glamour and the sudden fall.

Conjestina is currently in hospital, going through a series of tests before starting treatment. It will not be her first hospitalisation. She often relapses and takes up drugs and alcohol soon after she is discharged.

“When we were at Kisumu District Hospital this year, doctors said she has severe depression,” says Augo.

When she was famous, the family believes she invested in Nairobi, but they cannot trace the items she bought. Sometimes, Conjestinasporadically mentioned items she bought and random people who she claims took them.

They don’t know if it is her flights of fancy fuelled by delusion of grandeur, or if indeed people took advantage of her illness and robbed her.

Conjestina had her first loss at Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani where Yvonne Reis from USA felled her. She was agitated. She clenched her teeth as she watched disappointed Kenyans walk out of the stadium.

Her next losses came in rapid succession. After the infamous “come early coz I’ll finish early” phrase to assure her fans of a win, she lost again to Uganda’s Florence Nalukwago. Her star was dimming; and people started losing interest in what she was doing. She became a butt of jokes with every loss she registered.

And just as sudden as she had appeared in the Kenyan celebrity space, she disappeared into nothingness.

Augo believes there is hope for “Conje” and that this round of treatment will work.  

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