Paul Bitok, the coach of the national women’s volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, has taken on a new role as the Deputy President of the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) and is determined to prioritize youth development in his new position.
Bitok secured the deputy president seat while being on duty with Malkia Strikers in Cameroon during the KVF elections held at Nyayo Stadium. He received an overwhelming 191 votes, while his closest competitor, Edward Kisaka, garnered 23 votes.
With his new responsibilities, Bitok intends to focus on nurturing young talent and enhancing the performance of the men’s national volleyball team to match the achievements of Malkia Strikers.
Addressing the development of youth and junior players, Bitok noted, “Youth and junior have not been running any kind of program although we have the junior team doing very well.
I believe if we continue with the previous plans which the federation had for the junior team then we will identify and nurture talents.”
Regarding the men’s team, Bitok acknowledged the challenges they face due to a lack of sponsorship and intends to provide them with better support to excel in various competitions. He emphasized, “We have so many talents in the men’s rank only that we have not been giving them enough support to participate in different competitions.”
Bitok, an experienced coach, has unveiled his vision to elevate Kenyan volleyball by encouraging more players to compete for professional clubs abroad, aiming to raise the sport’s standards in the country.
He shared, “I have already started having sent Sharon Chepchumba and Veronica Adhiambo to play abroad. I am now in the process of facilitating three players to play professional volleyball outside the country. This is the only way we can expose these players to international standards.”
Bitok’s appointment comes as he replaces Charles Nyaberi, who was elected president, and joins other elected officials, including Kenneth Tonui as vice president and Mududa Waweru as vice president in charge of gender.
Ismail Chege and Bernard Musumba were elected secretary general and treasurer respectively, forming a new leadership team for the Kenya Volleyball Federation.
