The Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) Deputy President, Paul Bitok, has resigned from his position as Malkia Strikers assistant coach, a role he was appointed to ahead of the Paris Olympics Games. This decision follows a public outcry over the appointments of Bitok and KVF President Charles Nyaberi to the national women’s volleyball team technical bench, which were seen as conflicts of interest due to their elected positions.
“I have also stepped down from an earlier position offered to me by the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) to be part of the technical team. This has been largely informed by the strong sentiments that have arisen out of the appointment of Malkia Strikers’ technical bench for the Paris Olympics, which I was part of,” Bitok stated.
Nyaberi was appointed as the team manager for Malkia Strikers, while retired setter Janet Wanja was named as the trainer, and Japheth Munala as the head coach. The public backlash over the appointments was intensified by Kenya’s loss of a multi-million sponsorship from the FIVB after KVF rejected the deal that had benefited Malkia Strikers with high-performance training camps overseas.
Bitok expressed his desire to conclude his coaching career after the Olympic Games, but now plans to focus entirely on his executive role within the federation. He clarified that he did not impose or appoint himself to the team, noting his involvement with them long before he was elected KVF Deputy President.
“It was my wish and plan to end my coaching career in style after this year’s Olympics. Paris would have been the culmination of the eight-year project for Malkia Strikers that I have been honored to spearhead. I thank God that we have been able to achieve various milestones during this period, including qualification to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2019 African Games title, the 2022 World Championships in the Netherlands, the 2023 Africa Nations Cup crown, as well as qualifying for this year’s games. It was a great moment also working with Brazilian coaches under the FIVB empowerment programme which we were to end during Olympics 2024 after joining hands in 2020.”
Bitok was appointed as the Malkia Strikers head coach in 2019, following his decision not to extend his stay in Rwanda. His return revitalized the national women’s team, leading to significant achievements before his election as KVF Deputy President. During his five-year tenure, Malkia Strikers won the 2019 African Games title, qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games after a 16-year wait, participated in the 2022 World Championships, won a record-extending tenth Africa Cup of Nations title last year, and secured back-to-back Olympic qualifications.
