Gaudencia Makokha in action during a past match.
Volleyball Olympian Gaudencia Makokha was barely five years old when her father Titus Makokha died in 1997.
Makokha's mother Dinah Wekesa was left to fend for the family that numbered seven children.
Makokha’s mother moved her from Kakoyi Primary School in Malava to Mahanga Primary School when the family relocated to Lugari in Kakamega County.
It's at Mahanga that Makokha’s interest in sports grew. She excelled in football, lawn tennis and basketball.
"I was tall compared to my peers. When I was in Class Seven, a teacher called Chumba suggested I try playing volleyball. After attending training sessions, a couple of weeks, the urge to know more about the sport grew and that is how I settled on volleyball as my preferred sport.
“The interest in the sport grew deeper when I started attending training sessions conducted by renown coach Moses Lukorito following an invitation from his mum.”
Kenya's Gaudencia Makokha (right) and Yvonne Wavinya celebrate a point against Burundi during their CAVB Zone V Beach Volleyball qualifiers at Pride Inn Paradise hotel in Mombasa on December 21, 2023.
“Everything changed and that was my turning point in the sport,” Makokha said after the second edition of the Kenya Beach Games at Buntwani beach, in Kilifi County sponsored by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K).
"When I cleared Primary School at Mahanga, it was not easy for my mother to raise school fees not only for me but also for my siblings. She went through a lot, and on many occasions we would go to bed on empty stomachs.
"Sometimes we would stay at home because of lack of fees but, luckily, I got a scholarship to join Mahanga Secondary School. Coach Lukorito organised the transfers I made in secondary school.
"I moved from Mahanga to Lukhoho Girls High School then to St Christopher's Girls, before I completed my O level at Mabanga High School," the 31-year-old beach volleyball superstar said.
Makokha was part of the men's and women's Kenya beach volleyball teams that competed at the Confederation of Africa Volleyball (CAVB)Continental Cup-cum final round of Olympic in Casablanca, Morocco in June.
Sadly, neither team secured a Paris berth, putting paid to Makokha’s dream of a back-to-back Olympics appearance.
Makokha, had partnered with Brackcides Agala in 2021, defying the odds to qualify for Tokyo Olympics in Agadir, Morocco. The duo wrote history as the first Kenyans to play in Olympic Games beach volleyball.
To show her versatility, Makokha has paired with six other players, namely Eunice Maiyo, Edinah Rotich, Naomi Too, Jecinta Mueni, Agala and Yvonne Wavinya in an illustrious 15-year beach volleyball career.
She has stood the test of time to remain one of Kenya’s foremost beach volleyball players.
She says her mother, Dinah, now 79 years old, has been her chief motivator and the mother’s willpower to make things better for her family in the village has kept the daughter in the sport.
But why beach volleyball and not indoor volleyball?
"I didn't play conventional volleyball as much as I would have wanted to. I was unlucky at indoor volleyball. Sometimes I made the national team cut, sometimes I was overlooked.
Kenya's Gaudencia Makokha celebrates their win against Rwanda during their CAVB Zone V Beach Volleyball qualifiers at Pride Inn Paradise hotel in Mombasa on December 23, 2023.
“But after I made my international debut in beach volleyball in 2010, during the Continental Cup qualifiers in Mombasa, things have never been the same again. I have been a mainstay and regular player in the national team with different partners. It's a sport that needs patience, perseverance and understanding of your partner.
"Sometimes, I have considered quitting especially when all looked gloomy and we failed to get facilitation from the government for international assignments. But I look back and think of my mother, who single handedly took care of us, despite the hardships. I'm the breadwinner and have to stay put.
"If I quit, a lot of things in my life will stall because volleyball has helped me in many ways," said Makokha who has previously played indoor volleyball for KCB, Blue Triangle, Nairobi Water and Kenya Pipeline.
"I have played for over 10 years and played in almost every event with different players but I believe what has kept me going is the commitment, discipline and generally knowing what I want. God has also saved me from serious injuries unlike some of my partners. The sport has grown and has the potential to bring more medals for the country, but we must invest more in the sport to achieve that," she added.
Makokha says Kenyan School Games volleyball were competitive in their days but have lost their oomph.
"I remember the regional school games of 2008. We played against Lugulu Girls High School who eliminated us in the final. Despite the loss, I caught the eyes of the now Kenya and KCB coach Japheth Munala.
Gaudencia Makokha (right) trains under the watchful eyes of national beach volleyball coach Ibrahim Oduor (centre) in Mombasa on June 13, 2024.
"He advised me to link up with KCB when schools were on break. I was a middle blocker then but when I went to KCB, the middle blocking department was flooded and coach Munala advised me to switch to outside hitter.
"People don't know that I'm actually a utility player, who can play in the centre, outside and opposite positions, "says Makokha, who works at Kenya Pipeline Company, Operation Department in Mombasa County.
Makokha has special praise for former Kenya Ports Authority and former national men's and women's beach teams coach Sammy Mulinge now with Rwanda Patriotic Army, for taking a leap of faith in her.
Makokha says that little was known about beach volleyball a decade back and many players were not keen on the discipline.
“In 2010, coach Mulinge began teaching me beach basics, I really can't tell why he thought I was better suited for the sport, but I am glad I listened to him. I have excelled at the sport more than indoors.
“Who knows, were it not for beach volleyball, I wouldn't have played at the Olympics which is every player's dream. Beach volleyball has enabled me to tour and visit various countries that I only used to hear about.
Gaudencia Makokha during a training session at Pride Inn Paradise hotel in Mombasa on December 22, 2023.
"Beach volleyball has seen me compete at both the junior and senior World Championship, Commonwealth Games, African Games and Olympic" said Makokha with a glint of satisfaction in her eyes.
How did it go?
"Mulinge fielded Too and I in the World Championship qualifiers event that was staged in Mombasa 2011. We did not qualify but went to Poland two years later for the World Championships after getting a wild card.
“The performance was dismal but I think the event was a stepping stone. It opened the doors for us and in 2019 we were paired with Too again and we won a silver medal in the African Games in Morocco" says Makokha.
Makokha is now challenging upcoming players to listen and learn from their seniors.
"If I didn't listen or follow what coach Mulinge and Chumba had advised me to do, maybe I would not have achieved what I have. I would be somewhere lost in the village like my former school mates at Mahanga who are hopeless. But look at me now, I'm the pride of my village.
"In fact, when I'm in the media, my people back home are the ones who call me to tell me that I'm on television or in the newspaper. It shows that I'm the pride of my village," said Makokha.
“Sports pays and keeps young people away from vices," Makokha, who dreams of setting up a beach volleyball academy simply said.
