The burial of Waithaka Kioni, the president of the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF), was an emotional affair at his Kiamwangi village home in Gatundu South, Kiambu County.
The burial brought together senior government officials, local and foreign sports administrators, and sports enthusiasts who eulogized Kioni as a transformative, visionary, people-friendly, and jovial person.
The 70-year-old Kioni, who was also the second vice president of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya, died on April 9 while receiving treatment at St. Francis Community Hospital. Representatives from the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) Zone V and other foreign dignitaries attended the burial.
Speaker after speaker praised Kioni as a dedicated volleyball administrator who led Kenyan teams to international success.
Kioni’s daughter, Jemimah Waithaka, led family members in paying tribute to their father as an extraordinary patriarch who mentored and moulded them into better individuals, helping them grow in academics and other aspects of life.
Francis Mutuku, a representative of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya, led other mourners in eulogizing Kioni as an uniter who brought together individuals holding diverse ideologies for the betterment of Kenyan sports teams.
Politicians present, led by area MP Gabriel Kagombe, pledged to set aside a special fund for grassroots talent development in Kioni’s memory, praising him for nurturing numerous talents in Gatundu South and beyond.
At the time of his death, Kioni was the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) Deputy President and Treasurer, as well as the National Olympic Committee of Kenya’s Second Deputy President. He is survived by his four children, Steve, Paul, David, and Jemimah.
