Kenya women’s volleyball star Janet Wanja, who passed away on Thursday last week, will be buried on Friday, January 3, at Lang’ata Cemetery in Nairobi.
On Sunday, Kenya Volleyball Federation President Charles Nyaberi, who is a member of the funeral committee, told Nation Sport that the team making burial arrangements for the former Kenyan international settled on Friday as the day of the burial.
He said there will be a memorial service at Moi International Sports Centre Indoor Arena at Kasarani on Thursday from 10am to 2pm.
“The will be a memorial Service at Moi International Sports Centre Indoor Arena at Kasarani on Thursday from 10am to 2pm, after which the body will return to Montezuma Monalisa Funeral Home on Mbagathi Road in Nairobi for an overnight stay ahead of the burial on Friday,” said Nyaberi.
“The tentative programme that was shared earlier had indicated that there will be a funeral service on Friday at Lang’ata High School but that has since been scrapped. There will only be one memorial service at the Moi International Sports Centre Indoor Arena on Thursday,” Nyaberi clarified.
“Only family members, close friends and dignitaries will be allowed to grace the private burial ceremony on Friday at Lang’ata Cemetery,” Nyaberi added.
The funeral committee will meet today at the Sports View Hotel in Nairobi, after which the family will issue further communication.
Other members of the funeral committee are Francis Mutuku and Anthony Kariuki from the National Olympic Committee of Kenya, former national team’s middle blocker Roseline Odhiambo who works at Kenya Pipeline Company, and representatives from both the National Sports Council and the government.
Wanja left Mukumu Girls High School in 2005, and started her professional volleyball career at KCB Women’s Volleyball Team where she had a short stint before moving to Kenya Pipeline. At Kenya Pipeline, she established herself as a household name in Kenyan volleyball, taking over the setter position from Judith Serenge and Rhoda Liyali and going on to win four consecutive local league titles with the team from 2014 to 2017.
She was in the Kenyan team that won a historic FIVB World Grand Prix title in Australia in 2015. She also played volleyball with Kenya at the highest level globally. The setter played in two editions of the FIVB World Championship with Kenya (2006 and 2008), and played in three editions of FIVB World Cup (2007, 2011, and 2015), as well as at the 2004 Olympic Games.
Wanja also played in five editions of Africa Women’s Volleyball Championship with Kenya (2005, 2007, 2011, 2013, and 2015) as well as in two editions of the FIVB World Grand Prix (2013 and 2015).
In all the tournaments she competed in, Wanja served the nation as a setter the best way she knew how.
She won the continental titles with Kenya in 2005 in Nigeria, where they beat the hosts 3-1 sets , and in 2007 in Nairobi where Kenya defeated Algeria 3-0 sets in the final to triumph. She would again win the continental title with Kenya in 2011 in Nairobi, where hosts Kenya beat Algeria 3-1 sets before again helping Kenya to beat Cameroon 3-0 sets in the 2013 tournament held in Nairobi. For the 11 years she played for Kenya, her electrifying performances were not devoid of entertainment.
On almost all the occasions when Kenya won a title, especially on home soil, Wanja and her teammates would perform a jig at matches. Her last engagement with Malkia Strikers was as a trainer at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. She served in the same capacity at the FIVB Challenger Cup from July 4 to 7 in Manila in the Philippines.
On Friday, Kimani broke the news of her death.
“The family of Janet Wanja would like to announce her passing on after a brave battle with cancer. Our sincere and deepest gratitude goes out to the Kenya Pipeline Company for walking the journey with us from the beginning, and tirelessly providing all she needed in medical support. A special thank you to all our friends, Kenya Volleyball Federation, National Olympic Committee Kenya and Football Kenya Federation. Further updates shall be provided,” Kimani, who plays for Mathare United in the Kenyan Premier League, said in a statement yesterday morning.
Wanja has been undergoing treatment at MP Shah Hospital in Nairobi. In the final days of her life, she was put on palliative care at her house. Her body is at Montezuma Monalisa Funeral Home in Nairobi.
