International women referees dominate the list of match officials set to take charge of the 2019 Kenya Volleyball Federation's national league playoffs which throws off on Friday at the Safaricom Indoor Arena, Kasarani.
The well-travelled Tabitha Cherono lead the female quartet which also includes former Kenya international and national team captain Lucy Chege, Linet Omare and Millicent Wangare.
Cherono, the first and arguably the most experienced Kenyan female referee, has lauded the emergence of top-notch women referees in Kenya and says they are up to the task.
“We have officiated tough matches at higher levels and the playoffs will not be a big deal. We are good to go,” Cherono said.
She also urged each actor in the playoffs to focus and execute their roles to the best of their knowledge to avoid blame game.
Alfred Tabut and Nicodemus Onsongo complete the chapter of international referees called to duty for the three-day playoffs.
Other (national) referees who make up the list of 12 match officials are Timothy Rono, Sammy Mosong, Paul Seka, Wilfred Mutuma, Kevin Obongo and Irene Weda.
To clear the air, Onsongo, who is also the chairman of KVF referees’ commission, said the selection of the 12 whistle blowers was on merit.
“These referees were picked by the commission based on their performance in the league for 2019 because they were outstanding in their performance.
The commission has been assessing referees, not just for this assignment but also for future development including international training and officiating,” noted Onsongo who reiterated that there are more referees who performed well this season and are eligible for development opportunities.
He added: “They were cut out of this assignment because the number was limited.”
