Volleyball Foundation
Kamonde’s rise from the dusty grounds of Githurai Kimbo academy to the pristine courts of African volleyball is a classic grass to grace story
- Kamonde made his debut for Kenya’s men’s national team, Wafalme Stars, in Cairo, Egypt during the African Nations Championship
- Kamonde started playing volleyball at the age of seven after being attracted by the weekend training sessions conducted by Githurai Kimbo academy Joseph Mwangi
- Despite being a full-time professional player, Kamonde often makes time from his busy schedule to train the academy kids on weekends as a way of giving back
Even in his wildest dreams, Brian Kamonde never imagined of playing for the Kenyan national team. Not least because of the hopelessness associated with the tough neighbourhood of Githurai 45, where he grew up, which is known for crime, drug abuse and other social vices.
But last year, against all odds, Kamonde made his debut for Kenya’s men’s national team, Wafalme Stars, in Cairo, Egypt during the African Nations Championship. He was a regular starter as Kenya finished ninth under the guidance of Coach Gedion Tarus.
Fast forward to this year, Kamonde was once again part of the Kenyan team that claimed silver medal at the 13th African Games held in Accra, Ghana behind champions Egypt. The North Africans, ranked 20th in the world, were Africa’s sole representative at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
“Even though I had put more effort in training, the call-up came as a surprise to me. It was a great platform considering where I come from. Playing for the national team is an encouragement to the academy kids that they can play at the highest level despite having come from Githurai.
“I am a living example of this. I know my story; coming from Githurai and playing for the national team has encouraged many people,” Kamonde told the Volleyball Foundation.
“Egypt is a powerhouse in Africa and even beyond Africa they have good performances. Playing against the top teams (in Africa) has given me good exposure because they have tall middle blockers who are also very tactical. You get to learn more from them,” added the 193cm middle blocker.
Kamonde’s rise from the dusty grounds of Githurai Kimbo academy to the pristine courts of African volleyball is a classic grass to grace story. He started playing volleyball at the age of seven after being attracted by the weekend training sessions conducted by Githurai Kimbo academy Joseph Mwangi at the training ground located along the railway line.
Volleyball, Kamonde reveals, was not only a fun activity for him but also a welcome distraction from the struggles at home faced by his mother Nancy Kamonde, who had to raise them single-handedly.
“I got a lot of support from my mother because she raised us as a single mother. There were a lot of social vices in the neighbouring environment such as crime and drug abuse therefore going to the volleyball court was a welcome distraction,” said Kamonde, the third-born child in a family of four.
“When I was in primary school, we had our house locked for almost two months due to rent arrears. It was really challenging since we had nobody to help us and I was almost sitting my final primary school examinations.
“I used to go to the playing ground to pass time, play volleyball and have fun just to forget about the situation back home. In the evening, I would wait for mum to come back so that we could find somewhere to sleep,” painfully recalls a grimacing Kamonde.
Amid the teething problems that characterized his early childhood days, volleyball provided a ray of hope for Kamonde. He drew inspiration from the Githurai Kimbo senior team players Martin Kimondo and Samuel Gacharira, who had risen from similar backgrounds and were then key players for Cooperative Bank Volleyball Club and Strathmore University Volleyball teams respectively.
“Githurai Kimbo has nurtured me to be who I am today. I didn’t play any other sport while growing up. It was only volleyball and I gained interest in it through Githurai Kimbo and this game has become a key part of my life.
“I got basic skills, exposure and scholarships through our mentors and coaches at Githurai Kimbo. Githurai Kimbo academy taught me about persistence and hard work. We could see some of the senior players doing well for their teams in the national league and university league and it was a big inspiration for us. It was a motivation for us to work hard and be like them,” said a beaming Kamonde.
His journey to one of the leading clubs in Kenya, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), and the national team was littered with challenges but Kamonde points out that the mental strength he got at Githurai Kimbo helped him overcome them.
“Githurai Kimbo taught me about mental strength. Considering I came from a place where you face so many challenges including playing on a hungry stomach but I could still enjoy playing. Being strong mentally has helped me in many championships especially when facing tough opponents,” noted the 26-year-old who has represented KPA at three Africa Clubs Championship tournaments.
Despite being a full-time professional player, Kamonde often makes time from his busy schedule to train the academy kids on weekends and represent the senior team in inter-estate tournaments as a way of giving back.
“I want to inspire the next generation so that we can form a community for volleyballers in Githurai. It’s just to encourage the young kids because you never know what one is going through at home. Being around them inspires them to continue playing volleyball and reach greater heights in their careers,” he said matter-of-factly.
Volleyball Foundation has selected Githurai Kimbo as one of its pilot projects, a move Kamonde believes will help the academy reach more beneficiaries and change their lives for the better.
“It’s a great achievement for the academy. The children will get a lot of support in form of education because besides volleyball, it’s one of the things the academy insists on. It’s one of the greatest benefits we are hoping the kids from the academy will get moving forward.
“The academy will also be able to mould many players in future considering the fact that we now have different age groups. During our time, it wasn’t so structured so it’s great to see this good level of organization which means we are going to have many beneficiaries playing at the top level in Africa in future,” underlined Kamonde.
