Is KVF embroiled in a serious leadership crisis?

Kenya Volleyball Federation President Charles Nyaberi and his deputy Paul Bitok (left) at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, on January 22, 2024. [File, Standard]

Less than three years ago, the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) was one of the most well-managed sports organisations in the country.

Under the leadership of the late president Waithaka Kioni, disputes were unheard of, and the sport thrived to the delight of sportsmen and women and volleyball enthusiasts across the country. Despite having announced that he will hand over the management of the sport to a new team, Waithaka’s death on April 9, 2023, was a big blow not just to volleyball but to the country’s entire sports fraternity.

Kioni was a reputable administrator who steered Kenyan volleyball to greater heights and also served at the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) and the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB).

Fast forward to 2026, and it is clear that he left a gap that may take longer to fill, and his shoes were too big a fit for his successor, Charles Nyaberi.

At the time of his death, the KVF elections were just around the corner, but to fill the leadership vacuum, Nyaberi took over in an acting capacity. He was elected on August 19, 2023, after garnering 117 votes to defeat David Kilundo, who had secured 103.

However, things started going south when it became evident that self-interest was stronger than the desire to serve, which was a clear indicator of tough times ahead.

In just about six months, KVF under Nyaberi had plundered some of the gains and legacy that Kioni had spent years building.

Trouble started brewing with the scramble for slots to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Sadly, it was the players who suffered the greatest loss as Kenya lost Sh88m investment in the sport from the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) for volleyball empowerment. KVF could not see eye to eye with FIVB over the composition of Malkia Strikers' technical bench for the Paris Olympic Games.

While FIVB wanted to have the six empowerment programme coaches lead the team, KVF remained adamant, insisting that they should be given slots for three local coaches. They could not budge even at the cost of the FIVB support that was already bearing fruit with improved performance of the national team.

The two sides failed to find common ground, with the stand-off leading to the world governing body’s decision to withdraw its support for Kenya.

As if that was not bad enough, the KVF officials started fighting over who would travel to Paris with Nyaberi at the centre of the storm as he insisted that he was the rightful Malkia Strikers team manager for the quadrennial games.

He defended his appointment to the position, saying there was nothing wrong with a KVF official taking over a role in the national team.

“I’m an appointee of the federation just like others who had been appointed in the past, and it’s the executive council of the national federation that has a right to do so,” he said in a past interview with Standard Sports.

“When Bitok was struggling with the team in the qualification matches, why were these pressures not arising then? We must learn to appreciate the efforts and achievements of each coach in one way or another."

The matter ended up at the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT), which revoked Nyaberi’s appointment and reinstated Lilian Mududa Waweru, who had initially been appointed.

The matter would see Nyaberi suspended from office, with his deputy Paul Bitok, who bowed to pressure to turn down an assistant coach’s position on the Malkia Strikers bench, taking over in an acting capacity.

"I have elected to step down from my position as the Assistant Coach of the National Team. I have also stepped down from an earlier position offered to me by the Kenya Volleyball Federation to be part of the technical team," said Bitok in a press statement then. 

"I didn't impose nor appoint myself to the team but have been a part of them before and during the Olympics qualifiers in Cameroon—long before I was elected KVF deputy president."

Nyaberi was reinstated later, but his reign has not been free of trouble. He has been rocked with controversies, which also include allegations of misappropriation of funds.

Recently, a reliable source revealed that Nyaberi may have been involved in the decision to move the CAVB Zone Five Club Championship from Kenya to another country.

The source also intimated that Nyaberi had been suspended again, an allegation which could be backed by his peculiar absence as NOC-K awarded Malkia Strikers an Olympics Solidarity programme scholarship for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on Tuesday.

During the event, Bitok was introduced as the acting KVF president, affirming that all was not well at the helm of the federation's leadership.

Kenya was set to stage the regional event at the Kasarani Indoor Arena next month, but now Uganda is a possible host. CAVB Zone Five president Sadik Nasiwu revealed that KVF is not ready to host the event.

As the regional championship moves to another country, it casts a dark shadow on the country’s readiness to host the 2026 Africa Women’s Nations Volleyball Championship at Kasarani between August 23 and September 3. The winners of the continental showpiece will earn a direct ticket to LA2028. Kenya has not staged a major event since 2015, when Malkia Strikers defeated Algeria in the final to lift the continental gong at Kasarani.