After Chema Steel and Hardware Company was formed in Juja, Kiambu, in 2015, the founder, Charles Wanyiri, a sports enthusiast, wanted to encourage his employees to unwind together after work.
In 2023, he chose volleyball, as most of his male employees loved the sport, and it required little space. He formed Chema Volleyball Club that played street volleyball before registering for the 2024/25 Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) Division II League season.
And as they say, the rest is history.
The team is now the talk of the town, having created a piece of volleyball history that could soon see men’s standards match those of the women’s team.
Chema shocked many on their debut in the 2024/25 season of KVF Division II League, topping the table with 32 points. It recorded 13 wins and only one loss in 14 matches.
Chema Volleyball Club's Libero Bethoven Okombo takes a tactical dive for the ball as Setter Lester Mudibo (right) and Mark Ikori (Opposite hitter) strategise their next move during a past match. Looking on is Coach Jeremiah Mukopi.
Photo credit: Pool
They clinched the title by defeating league leaders, The Beast VC, 3–1 in a final match (25–20, 22–25, 25–14, 36–34), to secure promotion to the 2025/26 Division I League, in which they have won 11 matches and lost only three.
Chema finished third in the 14-team league in the regular season with 32 points, behind leaders Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), who had 39 points and Kenya Prisons with 36 points.
They only lost to KPA, Kenya Prisons and Kenya Army in a season where they stunned the likes of the defending champions, GSU, in 3-2 and KDF in 3-0.
This performance propelled Chema into their first quarter-final play-offs, which took place last week in Mombasa. They beat Trailblazers 3-0 in Game One (25-22, 25-17, 25-19) and 3-1 in Game Two (22-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-21).
Chema Volleyball Club's left attacker Moses Kamau in action against Trailblazers during the KVF Men's Division I League quarter-finals on June 26, 2026, at Makande Gymnasium, Mombasa.
Photo credit: Pool
“We want to avenge our regular season loss to Prisons and reach the final, and win the title,” said Wanyiri.
Wanyiri said women’s clubs such as KCB, Kenya Pipeline and Prisons have performed well at continental level, as reflected by the national team Malkia Strikers. “Chema and Trailblazers are run by individuals, whereas the others are teams from banks, corporations, and the armed forces,” said Wanyiri, adding that he has turned Chema into a fully professional team.
“We have exempted the players from work duties so they can focus on volleyball, and we pay them well,” said Wanyiri. He said the women players in top clubs earn up to Sh200,000, and this should be replicated for men’s teams.
“We have potential, but men need attention and investment too.”
“We want to rewrite volleyball history…it’s high time men’s teams had a share of the continental cake. We don’t need to look outside,our women’s teams should be our benchmark,” Wanyiri said.
The best show by a Kenyan club at continental level was by Prisons, who won silver in 2011 after losing 3-0 to Al Ahly SC of Egypt in the final. Prisons also won bronze in 2024. GSU won bronze in 2005.
