Why Wanja's appointment as Malkia coach is a welcome move

Retired volleyball sensation Janet Wanja has ultimately found her way back into the national women’s team, but this time in a different capacity.

After asserting unmatched authority on the court for close to 10 years,  the erstwhile poster girl of Kenyan volleyball terrain has transitioned to a coaching role after landing an appointment as Malkia Strikers’ fitness trainer.

A natural beauty with a bubbly personality, Wanja’s maiden task will officially begin at the East Africa Community Games in Kigali, Rwanda from January 29 to February 5.

Wanja, 39, takes over the reins from former Kenya Pipeline coach Paul Gitau in the technical bench set-up.

It is no surprise that KVF preferred to pick the ex-Kenya international for the coaching job. Wanja  is a decorated player whose glittering career spanned more than a decade.

Born on February 24, 1984, in Nairobi, Wanja’s hallmark as an exceptional volleyballer came in 2014 when she flew the country’s flag at the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Although the Kenyan team wrapped up eleventh overall, Wanja’s maiden appearance in the premier quadrennial global showpiece was a turning point in her stellar career that included successful spells with  Kenya Commercial Bank and Kenya Pipeline on the local top flight stage.

Wanja attributes her meteoric rise to the unconditional support she was afforded by her dotting parents John and Sarah Mungai who encouraged her to pursue her passion.

She began honing her skills in volleyball in 1996 when she was still a naive 12-year-old girl growing up at Kahawa Army Barracks in Nairobi.

Wanja said it was the Team Kenya Paralympics head coach Juma Walukhu who convinced her to immerse herself fully in the game of volleyball.

“I was still a young girl at the Kenyatta University Primary School while Walukhu coached a local volleyball team close to our estate when he talked me into joining volleyball,” Wanja remarked.

After sitting for her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams, Wanja joined  Mukumu Girls High School in Kakamega for her secondary education.

“I clinched consecutive national secondary schools volleyball titles with Mukumu and this placed me on the radar of several top-tier clubs who were keen to secure my signature,” Wanja stated.

Upon completing her studies at Mukumu in 2003, Wanja penned a two-year deal with multiple national volleyball champions, Kenya Pipeline for two seasons. “A year later, I was drafted into the national team for the 2004 Athens Olympics in Greece,” Wanja remarked.

“I joined KCB in 2005 just when the club had qualified for the African Club Championship that was held in Nairobi, where I scooped the Best Setter award,” she added.

Uncomfortable with seeing her in their rivals’ colours, Kenya Pipeline would bring Wanja back into their fold with a permanent job.

“Kenya Pipeline won the trophy in Nairobi but they were still determined to have me in their team. So they eventually offered me a permanent job that saw me link up with my former club,” Wanja remarked.

In 2008, Wanja made a giant leap in her career when she embraced a well-paying professional career in Rwanda with APR, a club that was being coached by Kenyan Paul Bitok at the time.

However, many of her friends poked holes in her controversial decision to join a club in a country that ranks lowly in the world of volleyball.

“I felt motivated by the urge to feature in a foreign league and find out what it feels like to play outside Kenya,” Wanja stated.

“I was also determined to help grow the sport the rest of East Africa and I’m glad Rwanda’s volleyball has gradually picked up since then,” she stated.

A defining moment in her nascent professional career came during the Genocide Memorial tournament played in Kigali’s Amahoro sports complex where  APR ran away with the regional title. Wanja said she always reminisces about the glory she basked in following the splendid performance.

“I was elated after being voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. I always consider the feat as one of the most memorable moments in my career. Helping APR to hoist the regional trophy and bagging individual honors in the process was a milestone in my career,” Wanja remarked.

“It’s something I had always dreamed of achieving and I was glad when it turned out real,” she added. Her exceptional exploits in the regional tournament earned her another instant call-up to the Malkia Strikers squad for the FIVB World Championships in Japan. She was the only squad member plying trade outside the country.

In 2007, she led Malkia Strikers to their seventh victory at the Women’s African Volleyball Championship in the final against Algeria. To cap it off, Wanja was crowned the Best Setter as teammate Dorcas Ndasaba also clinched the Best Player award.

Her club career saw her feature for KCB from 2004 to 2005 before shifting allegiance to Pipeline, where she was until 2019.

Before her appointment to the Malkia Strikers technical bench, Wanja served as a fitness trainer at the Kenya Pipeline Company.

During her heydays as a player, Wanja asserted unmatched authority both on the local and international fronts.

She successfully laid claim to five Africa Nations Championships, three All-African Games titles, and the World Grand Prix title.

Away from the volleyball court, Wanja has passionately embraced social responsibility programs to give back to the community.

In 2008 she was among a group of local athletes who participated in a fashion show to raise funds for a host of children’s homes in Nairobi.

“I’ve always considered my talent as God-given and cons tantly felt the need to contribute towards charity programs where I get an opportunity to support the needy,” Wanja remarked

“I derive vast fulfillment in working with children and I’m planning to build a home for orphaned children someday shortly when I happen to get enough money,” she added.