Newly appointed Malkia Strikers head coach Japheth Munala has vowed to maintain Malkia Strikers' top position in Africa even as he prepares for the East Africa Community Games in Kigali, Rwanda later this month.
Munala, who is also the KCB Women's coach, said they have a packed schedule and his priority is to ensure they post the best results, starting with the regional show. The East Africa show is scheduled for November 20-23 and it is part of the All Africa Games qualifiers.
Munala said considering that Kenya is currently number one in Africa, there is no way he will allow the standards to go low under his watch.
"My position is to ensure that we remain number one in Africa. We will work hard to win the East African Community Games in Rwanda before plotting for the World African Games qualifiers, the All African Games, and lastly the Paris 2024 Olympics," he said.
He also welcomed the new system of play that was introduced by the Kenya Volleyball Federation, saying it would raise the competitive spirit to a whole new level.
“This new season will see the playoffs adopt a different format from the round-robin showdown amongst the top four finishers that has been used over the years to determine the winner,” said Munala.
According to the KVF system, there will be pairings of top-placed teams taking on the eighth-place side, second place taking on seventh place, the third side playing sixth and the fourth-place finisher facing off with the fifth side for a place in the semis.
The semi-finals will be a best-of-three affair with the teams bundled out in the quarters also facing off in 5 to 8 classification matches.
"The playoff system is not bad because you can lose one match accidentally, then recover in the second before the final match. If you lose the first one, you can adjust and win the second, and then go for the final one. It is the best season so far, and we are embracing it," he concluded.
“This is not a new position for me. I have been here before — both as head and assistant coach for many years.
"I know the office, the ground, and how to do it. I have been there for more than 10 years.
"I already feel at home. I have been in a coaching career for a long. I was the Malkia Strikers coach between 2015 and 2018 and guided them to the World Championship in Japan,” he said.
Munala replaced Paul Bitok after the latter was elected as the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) deputy President.
Munala will be assisted by Kenya Pipeline’s coach, Paul Gitau, and Kenya Prisons’ women's team coach Josp Barasa.
