• So impressive were Malkia Strikers that they managed to beat Cameroon in their own backyard on the road to Tokyo.
• Seasoned rivals, Cameroon, drop to second with 171 points while the North African duo of Algeria and Egypt are third and fourth respectively as Senegal close the top five places.
National women's volleyball team Malkia Strikers have dethroned Cameroon at the top of the continental standings following the latest CAVB rankings released on Sunday.
Being the sole African representatives in the quadrennial games this year, Kenya was named the best after accumulating 180 points.
So impressive were Malkia Strikers that they managed to beat Cameroon in their own backyard on the road to Tokyo. Kenya will be making a return to the world show after a 16-year absence.
Seasoned rivals, Cameroon, drop to second with 171 points while the North African duo of Algeria and Egypt are third and fourth respectively as Senegal close the top five places.
Uganda (ninth) is the second-best in Eastern Africa. Rwanda are tied at position 11 with Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Swaziland.
In the men's category, Kenya are 13th with Tunisia, Egypt, Cameroon, Algeria and Morocco claiming the top five slots respectively. Burundi (eighth) and Rwanda (11) are also ahead of Kenya.
Despite the stagnation, after failing to play in matches counting towards the world rankings, coach Moses Epoloto is optimistic that Kenya's fortunes will change if the team is allowed to regularly compete in international tournaments. He also called on the Kenya Volleyball Federation to get a sponsor in order to take the Kenyan league to the next level.
"Our position in the rankings is not by mistake. We have to consistently compete in FIVB and CAVB competitions if we want to change the tide. We have a big task of improving the game and I cannot shy away from asking the federation to get a sponsor on board to cater for the national league."
"Some of our international players have improved but we need the whole team to be stronger if we are to leave a mark," he said.