Beach volleyball: Muliro’s 5-year grind earns him national team call-up

“Honestly, I feel grateful and humbled. It’s been a journey of learning, sacrifice and hard work, and getting to this stage is a dream come true,” Muliro said.

Chema Volleyball Club's Joesph Muliro (L) poses for a photo with a teammate in a past match. Photo/Handout.

For five years, Joseph Muliro has honed his skills, endured setbacks but remained committed to his dream.

Now, the vibrant Chema Volleyball Club player has earned a place in Kenya’s men’s national beach volleyball team ahead of the Zone V Beach Volleyball Tour, scheduled for October 21–26 at Bunjako Beach in Entebbe, Uganda.

The 26-year-old, who took up the sport in 2021, earned his first call-up to the national provisional squad last year ahead of the African Volleyball Continental Championship in Morocco but missed out on the final selection.

This time, his persistence has paid off.

“Honestly, I feel grateful and humbled. It’s been a journey of learning, sacrifice and hard work, and getting to this stage is a dream come true,” Muliro said.

“Consistency, discipline and believing in myself, even when things were difficult, have been key. I’m also grateful to my partner, Ayuen Mach, for the teamwork and commitment we’ve shared, as well as our coaches, teammates and everyone who has supported us along the way. I’m motivated to keep pushing and represent my country even better,” he added.

**- Top two pairs - **

Meanwhile, after missing out on qualification for the Los Angeles Olympic Games, Kenya’s men’s and women’s beach volleyball teams have shifted their focus to next year’s Africa Games in Egypt.

The teams failed to progress beyond the round of 16 at the 2026 CAVB Continental Senior Championship in Alexandria, Egypt, and will be looking to make amends at the Zone V event.

Beach Volleyball Commission chairman Moses Mbuthia said the top two pairs from each category at the recently concluded Deep Heat-homologated National Beach Volleyball Tour at Kongo Public Beach in Diani, Kwale County, would represent Kenya in Uganda.

Olympian Gaudencia Makokha returns to competitive action after serving on the technical bench during the Olympic qualifiers. She will partner Sharleen Sembel.

Makokha and Sembel beat Selina Gambo and Melany Akoth 2-0 (21-14, 21-12), while Muliro and Mach defeated Richard Amutalla and Momanyi Oseko 2-0 (21-19, 21-10).

Consequently, Makokha will team up with Sembel, while Gambo will partner Akoth. In the men’s category, Mach will pair with Muliro, while Amutalla and Oseko will form the second duo.

Mbuthia said the Zone V competition would offer Kenyan players a valuable opportunity to accumulate ranking points ahead of the Africa Games.

“We want to build on the Kwale Tour, which is why we have selected the top two pairs from the event. The regional competition offers more points than the national tour, and we are keen to take advantage of that as we pursue qualification for the Africa Games,” Mbuthia said.

“After missing out on the LA Olympic Games, our journey towards qualifying for the 2032 Games starts in earnest. We want to collect maximum points as we work towards Brisbane, Australia. We are grateful to the Ministry of Sports for its continued support and hope it will maintain that commitment,” he added.

The teams are expected to begin training on Wednesday at a venue in Nairobi yet to be confirmed.

Twelve nations are expected to compete in the tournament: Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya and hosts Uganda.

Report by Agnes Makhandia