This archive report was first published on 15 July 2019.
Kenya's volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, has been on a roll in Africa, while the national football team, Harambee Stars, has been struggling despite receiving more funding.
At the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Harambee Stars were eliminated at the group stages and suffered a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Senegal on June 30 at the 30 June Stadium in New Cairo.
On the other hand, Malkia Strikers were through to the final of the 2019 Women African Volleyball Nations Championship, where they faced Cameroon, after defeating Senegal 3-0 in the semi-finals on Saturday night at the 6 October Hall in Giza, Cairo.
Kenya made short work of Senegal in straight sets of 25-13, 25-13, 25-20.
Kenya captain Mercy Moim attributed their success to their focus on winning the game, rather than seeking revenge against Senegal.
"Revenge is what fans were talking about, not us. This is volleyball, not football. For us, it was about winning the game," Moim said at the team base at the Cataract Pyramids Resorts Hotel in Giza, Cairo.
Kenya Volleyball Federation technical director, David Lungaho, who is managing the team in Cairo, noted that football and volleyball are two different sports, and the girls are professionals playing for themselves.
"We have shown that we, together with Cameroon, are the two top-ranked teams in Africa. We are playing to earn points for world rankings," Lungaho said.
Moim lamented the lack of government support for the achieving Malkia Strikers, who received no public funding for their campaign in Egypt.
"We trained at Kasarani, but never got any visit from a government official. It is the volleyball federation that has been trying hard to maintain us," Moim said.
Despite the challenges, Moim and her team remain committed to their sport and their country.
