NAIROBI, Kenya, September 10, 2026 – National men’s volleyball team coach Gideon Tarus believes they can score a first by reaching the podium of the Africa Championships in Tunisia, this month.
Tarus says he has already mapped out a path to the medal bracket, which involves Wafalme Stars topping Group C, against Cameroon and Libya.
“What I want this time round is to finish on top of the pool…or even number two, God willing. Round of 16 I want to play with number 4 or number 3 from the other group and this will make us get to the round of eight. This will be our first time at this stage and we want to do well to make the podium,” the coach said.
In all the years of featuring at the continental showpiece, the team are yet to reach the podium of the championships – a stark contrast to their female counterparts, Malkia Strikers, who have won 10 titles.
Tarus, who is tutoring the team for the third time at the tournament, says he is not keen for a repeat of past heartbreaks.
“This is my third time now attending this championship. In 2021, I was number 9 and the next one I played in Egypt, I was number 9 again. In Egypt, we didn’t play well because we lost our matches in the pool but this time round we want to reach the round of 16,” Tarus, also the coach of General Service Unit (GSU), said.
At the preceding edition of the championships in 2023 in Cairo, Egypt, it was a case of déjà vu as losses to Cameroon and Libya in their pool matches put paid to their medal hopes.
They recovered to thrash Senegal in straight sets of their classification match before sweating to beat Ghana 3-2 to finish ninth overall.
Tarus believes the team have matured through the years and now know better when they come up against other continental bigwigs.
The tactician says he is now tying up a few loose ends in their preparations, part of which involves analysing their opponents.
“Everybody is ready for the championship and fit. We have trained all from the back court defence, reception, blocks…we have done everything. It’s only that we are going to see how our opponent are playing so that we cope up with them, adjust our mode of play to fit with them. I see us going somewhere this year and we are ready,” Tarus says.
A podium finish by Wafalme would be a seismic shift in African volleyball, symbolising a rearrangement of the order of the sport as minnows like Kenya stake their claim.
Back home, it would go some way in soothing the aching hearts of volleyball fans who are still smarting from Malkia Strikers’ loss to Egypt in the final of the Africa Championships at the Kasarani Indoor Arena, a week ago.
