Kenya men’s volleyball may not have achieved much but when the history of the game is written, Phillip Maiyo will feature prominently. The lanky player from Simat Village in Uasin Gishu County is not just any other player but the longest-serving professional in the country. He has played professional volleyball for the last 15 years in eight nations. Born 41 years ago, Maiyo says the sport has been his pillar if not everything.
“My journey in volleyball started at Simat Primary School many years back and later joined Simat Secondary School, however, I didn’t complete my secondary school education at Simat. I was poached by former volleyball powerhouse Paul Boit High School. At junior level, I was inspired by the current Malkia Strikers coach and Kenya Volleyball Federation deputy president, Paul Bitok. I grew up watching him play volleyball. I wanted to emulate him. While Uasin Gishu is famous for athletics, we made a difference by venturing into volleyball,” said Maiyo.
While in primary school, Maiyo reached the provincial level but featured in the national championships twice, playing for Paul Boit Secondary.
“When I joined Simat Secondary, my former primary school teacher had moved to Paul Boit and he tagged me along. In 2000, we finished second at the national championships but won the national title the following year,” explained Maiyo.
“Since I did not have any formal contract with KDF, I joined Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) where I signed a one-year contract before returning to KDF where I secured a contract in 2003. I was already a star.I must thank KDF for mentoring me and giving me a job. I went for recruit training and officially became an officer,” said Maiyo.
In 2003, Maiyo joined the senior national team, Wafalme. He played in the national team for 12 years and was at one time the captain. “The biggest achievement, with the national team, was winning a bronze medal at the African Games in Maputo, Mozambique. Since then, Kenya have never won a medal. As a captain, I was very proud to lead the team that won the first medal for the nation. The secret was simple, discipline and respect for other players, especially when you are the captain.”
After playing for KDF for about three seasons, he secured his first professional contract in Japan. “When we were playing some national league games at Kasarani, a certain Japanese Malkia Striker coach watched our matches. And since I was in top form, he came and talked to me .He asked if I could play in Japan. I agreed and we made a formal agreement alongside the late Waithaka Kioni, the then KVF president.”
“I joined Oita Mishi in my first pro deal. I played there for one season and emerged the top points-scorer,” he remember. He then joined Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia, where he played for eight seasons. At Sofia, I got better since I got a good coach who gave me all the things I needed. I was at one time voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) UEFA League. In fact, I am the first Kenyan to play at the Champions League and the first player to play professionally for long — 15 years in various nations including Japan, Bulgaria, Italy, Romania, Turkey, Germany, and Qatar,” said Maiyo.
Maiyo’s take home from his stints abroad is the way the teams in Europe and the Americas treat their players in addition to having efficient systems.In addition, he said, players in some of these countries wholly depend on volleyball unlike in Kenya where one has to secure a job first before venturing into serious club volleyball.
“The system in Europe is different. One has to go through all the school systems first unlike in Kenya. There is time for volleyball then class or vice versa, unlike in Kenya,” he said.He, however, hopes that the introduction of the Competency-Based Curriculum will change the outlook of Kenyan sports, not just volleyball.“We need a system that allows professional clubs to thrive. Clubs like KCB (women) and Kenya Pipeline are somewhat professional due to the investments they have pumped into their teams. We want more of these across the country,” said Maiyo.
Meanwhile, Maiyo believes the men’s national team have some of the best players but their biggest undoing is lack of support, especially during training.“Wafalme have very good players but there is something we need to do as a country and as a federation. We need to have a good transition of young players from the junior ranks into the senior team. We need age systems to feed the national team the way European nations do,” said Maiyo.
And even though the team failed to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Maiyo believes the current team is one of the best the country has ever had.“I am urging the government to collaborate with the federation to revamp the players’ training. A team needs a minimum of four to six months of training to win a championship. Currently, they train for a maximum of two weeks. That is not anywhere close to enough,” he said
In addition, Miayo is hopeful that sponsors will pump money into the men’s game, which will in return offer good packages for the players and eventually help improve the performances of the national team.He said life is very tough for players who have no jobs.
“You can’t play on an empty stomach. You can’t train for six hours without anything to eat, it is dangerous.There is good money in sports, which if not well utilised can drive someone into depression, especially when the taps run dry,” he said.
Maiyo said he has it all figured out in his roles as a KVF executive member and Uasin Gishu vice chairman.He said his first move is to link up with like-minded stakeholders in the establishment of training camps, especially in institutions with rich volleyball history like his former schools — Paul Boit and Simat — to mentor young players.
“For us to achieve all these, we need finances. I want to urge Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba to consider volleyball and other indoor games as they build and renovate stadia .Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret lacks indoor games facilities which means players from the larger North Rift region have no place to train or play standard volleyball,” he said, adding: “I also want to appreciate teachers who have been mentoring young players in their institutions despite the numerous challenges.
Meanwhile, Maiyo revealed that his children have shunned volleyball for other sporting disciplines.“My children are not playing volleyball but are into taekwondo. Maybe they will represent the country at the Olympics one day. I tried introducing them to volleyball but that did not work. They even used to come watch me play but they told me they wanted to do other things,” said Maiyo.
And despite having an FIVB Level One coaching licence, Maiyo said he would rather serve the sport in management rather than coach.
“My calling is not in coaching but administration. While still active on the courts, I vied for a KVF seat and still got votes even though I was out of the country,I still have my volleyball mentor, Bitok —KVF vice president, ahead of me in management which is a good thing, not just for me but the sport too.And for all the good that the sport has offered me, a dislocated finger serves as a stark reminder of the struggles I went through to reach the top.This finger has its fair share of history. Majority of volleyball players have dislocated fingers, anyway,” he said, adding that he was injured while blocking an opponent back in 2003.
“I have played with it all along time. I just wrap it and play. I was advised to go for minor surgery but I declined since I feared it could go wrong,” concluded Maiyo.
By Janet Namalwa