This archive report was first published on 12 August 2019.
Kenya women's volleyball team's problems began in Cairo, Egypt, during the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in July 2019. The team's head coach, Shailen Ramdoo, allegedly accosted statistician Shota Katagiri, a volunteer from Japan, at the team's hotel during lunch.
According to Ramdoo, Katagiri had touched a player during lunch, violating the coach's rules of engagement. Ramdoo 'jokingly' shoved Katagiri, who then retreated to his room crying.
However, Katagiri denies being handled violently, claiming that Ramdoo punched him. The incident sparked a chain of events that would eventually split the team.
Team manager David Lung'aho took up the matter and called for a meeting to discuss the incident. Ramdoo stormed into the meeting, confronting Lung'aho for undermining his authority as coach.
The rift between Ramdoo and Lung'aho continued to grow, with the team's assistant coach, Japheth Munala, and captain, Mercy Moim, also being drawn into the conflict.
Despite the divisions on the bench, the team continued to win, but the tension between Ramdoo and Lung'aho eventually led to a breakdown in communication.
On June 17, 2019, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) summoned the team's administrator, Kioni, to explain the incident involving Katagiri.
JICA expressed shock and sadness over the physical violence and abusive remarks directed at Katagiri and requested the Kenya Volleyball Federation to improve the work environment for the volunteer.
On July 20, 2019, middle blocker Edith Wisa reported her passport missing from her bag at Kasarani Indoor Gymnasium. The passport was later found in her bag on July 26, but her new passport did not arrive until July 30, causing her to miss the team's trip to Italy for the FIVB Inter-continental Olympic qualification tournament.
