When Kenyan netball star Lydia Nyapere first set foot on a netball court in 2016, it was against her will. She was a Form Three student at Lala Mixed Secondary School in Homa Bay, having transferred from Asumbi Girls School on health grounds.
She wanted nothing to do with sport. However, her towering six-foot frame made it impossible for her to go unnoticed. For long, at Lala Mixed, Nyapere turned down persistent encouragement of netball coaches Peter Oloo, a Kenya Prisons officer, and Hellen Otieno, a teacher.
“They kept telling me I had the height of a netball or basketball player,” she recalls. “I used to dodge them, but they would track me down to make me practice.”
What began as forced participation slowly grew into a passion. Nyapere, now 26, has never looked back. Today, she is Kenya Divas’ top goal shooter, a national hero and one of Africa’s most exciting netball talents.
Nyapere comes from a sporting family. Her mother played netball, and her father played volleyball. After high school, she joined the Sofia Queens, coached by Oloo and Tom Praise.
It was during the 2018 Inter-Counties tournament in Kasarani, Nairobi, that referees Caleb Amoi and Chester Kioko spotted her potential.
Impressed by her raw potential, they recommended her to Evelyne Cherono, the coach of the Kenya Prisons team, who reached out to Nyapere’s father. He agreed to let her join the Prisons team even as she prepared to join college.
Nyapere played for Prisons as a civilian in 2018 and 2019, before undergoing nine months of training. Prisons employed her in October 2019.
“Being one of the biggest netball clubs in Kenya, I could not resist joining them. It opened doors to the national team,” she says.
However, breaking into the national squad wasn’t easy. Between 2019 and 2023, Nyapere was dropped from the final team five times. But she didn’t give up, and the support of her family kept her going.
Her breakthrough came in 2024, at the Mirxes Nations Cup in Singapore. Fielded in all six matches, she topped the tournament with a stunning 211 goals from 223 attempts.
Lydia Nyapere shoots the ball during the Singlife Nations Cup tournament which was held between held November 2 and 8, 2025 in Singapore.
Photo credit: Courtesy
“It felt great. I attribute it to teamwork,” she said. “We’re known as the Dancing Team because we psyche each other up with songs before matches. During Singlife, we sang Coster Ojwang’s song Jowi . People thought we were mourning Raila Odinga, which is not a bad thing; to remember one of Kenya’s greatest heroes. But for us, it is a powerful chanting prayer song,” said Nyapere.
Nyapere’s reliability under the post reached new heights in 2025 during the Singlife Nations Cup, which attracted Kenya, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Singapore A, and the Isle of Man. Kenya Divas finished the tournament unbeaten, defeating Singapore 55–42 in the final, with Nyapere scoring an extraordinary 39 goals from 41 attempts.
To stay on top of the game, Nyapere says discipline is non-negotiable.
“You must work on accuracy. I spent hours working on shooting accuracy. Go the extra mile beyond team sessions. And on the field, believe in yourself.”
Her role models, John Ochuka from Kenya Prisons men's netball team, her national teammate Hellen Sinoya, and Jamaican ace Jhaniele Fowler continue to influence her craft. Ochuka regularly texts her after matches with technical corrections, while Sinoya inspired the splits she is now famous for.
As a Prisons Constable whose employment came through sport, netball pays Nyapere’s bills. But balancing motherhood with elite performance remains her toughest challenge.
“You give your best on the court, but someone needs you at home. You need to bond with your baby. Balancing netball and motherhood is not easy, but I’m managing,” she says.
Her husband, a childhood friend and taekwondo athlete, Derrick Nyangi, is her pillar of strength.
“He motivated me even when I wanted to quit after being dropped,” she says. “He is my biggest fan.”
Born on March 30, 1998, the second last-born in a family of 12 — and a twin — Nyapere’s journey is still unfolding. Once aspiring to be a nurse, she now dreams of playing in top leagues in England or New Zealand and plans to pursue Sports Science.
With the Africa Netball Cup set for December 8-14 in Lilongwe, Malawi, all eyes will be on the sharp-shooting constable from Homa Bay. The girl who once hid in washrooms to avoid netball is now one of the continent’s most lethal scorers.
