Four times Madina Okot applied for a US visa, and four times she was denied.
The first time she tried to leave Kenya, the man behind the glass at the American embassy said no without even looking up from his desk.
She tried a fourth time, this time tagging her parents along.
The fourth denial was crushing in a way that the first three had not been, because by then she had already attracted interest from American universities.
“We couldn’t tell why she was denied the visa. We were never given a chance to speak. At one time, we were told that she failed an interview because while she was answering questions there was a door that was opened,” her father, Musa Mulah told Nation Sport .
At their home in Mumias, Kakamega County, Musa Mulah Masayi, father to rising basketball star Madina Okot, shares insights into her remarkable journey during an interview with Nation Sport on April 16, 2026.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
Eventually, Okot secured a scholarship at Mississippi State University, which helped her secure a US visa, allowing her to leave Zetech and continue her academic and sports career in the United States.
She later transferred to the University of South Carolina, where she established herself as a senior basketball player.
Her collegiate career reached new heights as she averaged a double-double, posting 12.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.
She led the NCAA Southeastern Conference in rebounding as she recorded 22 double-doubles, among the highest totals nationally.
Her performances were instrumental in South Carolina’s run to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship final.
She earned All-Southeastern Conference (All-SEC) second team honours and was named a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award.
On April 13, the Atlanta Dream selected her 13th overall in the WNBA Draft.
“I didn’t know it would come after six years. If I could go back, I would tell my younger self that I’m proud of her. She never gave up. She went through a lot and kept moving forward,” she told reporters in New York.
In Mundubi village in Kakamega County, Okot’s rise is greeted with pride, where her siblings speak of her not just as a trailblazer, but a fighter.
Okot’s younger sister, Sheila Nafula, smiles at the comparison she hears often that she looks like the new WNBA draftee, but it is more than a resemblance she hopes to share.
“I’m in Form Four now and I play volleyball. But I want to follow her path. I want to make my parents and the country proud, just like she has,” she says.
Okot’s brother, Issa Ndombi, who does not actively participate in sport, reflects on the scale of her achievement: “No one imagined that our sister, from a small village, could reach that level. What she has done makes all of us proud.”
Family members of Madina Okot pose with her jerseys and kit at their home in Mumias, Kakamega County on April 16, 2026. From left: her father Musa Mulah Masayi, mother Jacqueline Nakhumicha, and siblings display memorabilia celebrating her basketball journey.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
In 1989, Mulah was a promising volleyball player at Malava Boys, competing against some of the strongest school teams in Western Kenya.
After finishing school, he moved to Nairobi searching for greener pastures.
But in 1993, during a visit home for the Easter holidays his dreams of playing volleyball for an elite club ended.
“My father told me not to go back to Nairobi. He, in fact, asked me to stop playing, to settle down and get married,” Mulah recalls.
At the time, Mulah was 21 years.
“I cried for a week. I knew it was over,” he says.
He duly stepped away from volleyball, started a family with Jacqueline Nakhumicha, and built a life far removed from sport, that he had so dearly loved as a youngster.
“But vowed to give my children the support and blessings they needed if they chose the path of sports,” he says.
Jacqueline Nakhumicha, mother to trailblazing basketballer Madina Okot, speaks during an interview with Nation Sport at their home in Mumias, Kakamega County.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
Okot’s mother describes her as a child who rarely needed to be spoken to loudly to obey and understand instructions.
“She was quiet, but very focused. She is disciplined, but also very cheerful. We guided our children firmly as they were growing up, and even now, Okot knows she must take responsibility for her actions,” Nakhumicha said.
Okot was born on August 23, 2004, the fifth born of eight children.
She began her education at Mukwa Primary School before moving to live with her aunt in Class Six, a transition that led to her admission at Emache Primary School in Kabras.
She picked up netball, playing as a defender until the completion of her primary education.
She joined Mukwa Secondary School as a day scholar in 2018, and was promptly drafted to the volleyball because of her height.
One of the school’s teachers, Erick Wakobola, appreciated the talent of Okot and felt she needed to go to a school that placed more emphasis on volleyball.
Madina Okot holding up Atlanta Dream jersey with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert at The Shed New York City on April 13, 2026.
Photo credit: Pool
Wakobola went to Okot’s home to have a chat with her parents. The result was Okot’s transfer on a sports scholarship to Bishop Sulumeti Secondary School while still in Form One.
Bishop Sulumeti has a strong tradition of volleyball excellence and Okot fitted right into their style, helping the school reach the regional championships in Bungoma and subsequently qualify for the national games in 2019.
A phone call came through from Philip Onyango, then head coach of Kaya Tiwi Secondary School, to Okot’s parents requesting that they allow him to include their daughter in the school’s programme.
Her father recalls that this period also marked a turning point in her education and sporting pathway, noting that he has not paid school fees for her since Form One due to the scholarship arrangement.
At Kaya Tiwi, Onyango introduced her to basketball after observing her physical attributes and adaptability. That introduction marked the beginning of her basketball journey.
“When I heard she had switched to basketball, I was not happy at first. But the coach told me to trust the process and allow the girl to play and progress in the game,” he said.
Within months of picking up a basketball for the first time, Okot was representing Kenya Ports Authority in 2022.
Kenya soon came calling, and Okot answered, representing Kenya in the 2022 Fiba 3x3 Africa Cup.
Onyango said players matching Okot’s profile exist locally but are often missed because of weak scouting systems and late exposure to the game of basketball.
Madina Okot on the orange carpet at the WNBA draft in The Shed New York City on April 13, 2026.
Photo credit: Pool
“Tall, naturally gifted athletes are there, but most are not identified early or guided into basketball. Many end up in volleyball or netball, and by the time they switch, they are already late in structured development,” he said.
Onyango says developing elite players requires time, structure and stability both at home and in school.
He adds that most development work is driven by individual coaches rather than strong national structures.
“Coaches are doing a lot on their own scouting, mentoring and even protecting players from exploitation but it is mostly personal effort, not a fully supported system,” he said.
Many players featuring in the Kenya Basketball Federation Premier League can only dream about playing in the USA.
At Kisumu-based Urbanville, players speak of Okot with admiration.
Urbanville coach Oliver Nyawanda believes Okot’s story highlights the untapped talent in the country.
“The talent is here, what is missing is the system to support it,” he says.
He points to limited exposure, financial constraints, and the absence of clear pathways as challenges faced by fledgling talent.
