Esther Ikiugu, a judo referee, during an interview at Nation Centre in Nairobi on July 15, 2026.
For the 10 years that judoka Esther Ikiugu represented Kenya, she never fought at any world judo championship event.
The 38-year-old, who featured in under-57kg and under-63kg, winning 12 national and five regional titles, retired in 2019.
Seven years later, she is about to write history as the first Kenyan to officiate at an international judo championship.
Ikiugu will referee at this year’s World Judo Veterans and Kata Championships from September 23 to 26, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I am elated with this appointment since I never competed at the World Championships during my playing days, but here I am heading to a world event,” said Ikiugu, who went into refereeing after her last appearance as an athlete at the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco.
Ikiugu got the National/Regional Referee B badge before upgrading to the International Judo Federation (IJF) Continental -B Referee Badge in 2017.
Esther Ikiugu, a judo referee.
However, lack of funds saw her stagnate before Kenya Judo Federation (KJF) sponsored her for the IJF International - A course in Pretoria, South Africa in June, last year, which she completed to become the first Kenyan to hold an IJF International - A Referee Badge.
Africa has between 20 and 25 IJF International - A referees.
Ikiugu and Peter Oyugi are the only Kenyan’s with IJF Referee A certification.
“The selection will put the limelight on the country. It will inspire more of our referees to get higher certification,” said KJF president Shadrack Maluki, who is also the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) president.
“It’s the course that I attended in Pretoria that has opened this door,” said Ikiugu, who embraced judo in 2005 while a Form Two student at Akithi Girls School in Meru.
Ikiugu revealed that her father Wilson Ikiugu, who has retired from Kenya Prison Service, was a martial arts expert and volleyballer during his heydays.
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Esther Ikiugu, a judo referee.
“I used to follow him to the gym and got fascinated with the martial arts and especially judo,” said Ikiugu, an officer at Kenya Prisons. “I used to fight and wrestle with boys and that is why judo was an easy pick for me.
Ikiugu, who started fighting competitive in 2009, represented Kenya in the 2011 Maputo, Mozambique, 2011 Congo Brazzaville and 2019 Rabat African Games. She has also competed in the Africa Judo Championships and the Africa Judo Open.
She won seven national titles as well as four regional gold medals in the in under-57kg. She also clinched three national titles and one regional title in under-63kg.
Ikiugu's ultimate dream is to officiate in the Olympic Games, World Grand Slam, World Grand Prix and World Masters.
She will officiate at the Africa Junior and Cadet Championships from July 23 to 28 in Casablanca, Morocco.
Maluki said that Ikiugu was one of the 45 referees and coaches who have been tasked to lead KJF’s ambitious “Judo for Schools” programme starting in August.
The sport will be introduced in schools next year.
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