Sharon Chepchumba: I am ready to conquer Europe

“No, thank you!”

This is the response of reigning Africa best attacker Sharon Chepchumba to any African club that may be planning to offer her a professional contract.

The towering player has instead trained her eyes on a professional career in Europe.

Chepchumba is part of the KCB team that will fly out Thursday morning to Kelibia, Tunisia for the women’s African Club Championship. The team finished a distant ninth in their last appearance in 2019.  

KCB last won the championship in 2005 in Nairobi.

Kenya Prisons and Kenya Pipeline are the country's other representatives in the May 19 - June 1 championship.

“I have previously been offered contracts by Zamalek of Egypt, Morocco and Rwanda. Clubs from Greece and  Italy also showed an interest, but I turned down the offers last year  because I knew that I was not ready. I have worked on myself and now I’m ready to conquer Europe,” said Chepchumba with a cheeky smile.

“If I sign with an African club, then I will not challenge myself. That is why I turned down the offers.”

The ardent fan of former United States of America player and Olympian, Kimberly Hill, said that had her neighbour in Cherangany, Trans Nzoia County, Lillian Lelei not have egged her on, she would not have been a household name in volleyball.

“In 2014 during the December holidays, Lelei told me that I have height that was suitable for playing volleyball. She contacted Kwanthanze coach Justine Kigwari and that’s how I moved from Tartar Girls High School to Kwanthanze Secondary School. I had no idea of how to play the sport, but I learnt fast,” she recalled.

“I used to attend school games, and Kwanthanze was a powerhouse. But I remember in 2016, they lost to Soweto Secondary School at the regional level at Nyayo National Stadium and that pained me. In 2017, I was given a chance to play and we won the nationals and went ahead to also win the East Africa Games in Gulu, Uganda. I was named the Most Valuable Player,” said Chepchumba.

Chepchumba joined Prisons briefly in 2018, but left when she did no get a permanent job. She joined Kenya Pipeline the following year.  

“Pipeline gave me a good offer.  They made me whom I’m today. I will forever remain grateful. In 2020 I moved to KCB, and I hope that the club will reclaim the African Club Championship title that a Kenyan team last won in 2013,” she said.

Prisons was the last Kenyan team to win the title in 2013 in Madagascar.

Chepchumba is glad that her parents, Janet Osundwa and Simon Kiprono, who had separated,  have reunited because of her fame.

“I don’t have good memories of my childhood. I was raised by my grandparents from my mother’s side. My grandmother later died and there was no way I was going to be raised by my grandfather. So, I reunited with my mother,”  said the 24-year-old.

“It was not easy as my mother had to fend for us. I’m happy that we are now a close-knit family,”  added the player, who looks up to former Cameroon captain, Christelle Nana.

Chepchumba thinks that KCB, which recruited heavily in the 2019/2020 season, needs better results.

KCB have twice finished second behind Prisons in the Kenya Volleyball Federation National League.

“KCB signed new players, and when the coronavirus struck, we did not feel the pinch when players in other disciplines were either not paid of they suffered pay cuts. This has given us the drive to win titles,” said Chepchumba who was a football goalkeeper at TarTar Girls High School before moving to Kwanthanze.

No hard feelings

KCB recruited Noel Murambi, Violet Makuto and Leonida Kasaya from Pipeline in 2019 before they got the services of Mercy Moim and Edith Wisa in 2020 from Prisons and Chepchumba in 2020.

Makuto and Murambi have since rejoined the Oilers.

Chepchumba has no hard feelings with the players who have left the club for greener pastures.

“We will not play forever. If a player feels like switching clubs or something, they should be left to do so, because we don’t know what the future holds. Although their absence was felt, the fringe players have risen to the occasion and we are ready to rumble. We hope to sparkle at the club championships,” she added.

Chepchumba, a natural outside hitter, tried out for the opposite hitter department, a position she says has propelled her to great heights.

“During the Intercontinental Olympic qualifier in Italy, the regular players had lost to the Netherlands and Belgium and then the team manager David Kilundo challenged former coach Shailen Ramdoo to give fringe players a chance to play since we had nothing to lose.

Triza Atuka, Kasaya, Jane Wacu, Gladys Ekaru, Agripina Kundu, Immaculate Chemtai and I took to the courts. We played well although we lost to Italy 3-0, our presence was felt,” recalls the national team player, who would someday like to play golf.

Chepchumba was ranked second best scorer with eight points behind Italian Paola Egonu with 15 points.

During the 2019 Africa Games in Rabat, Morocco, Kenya was trailing Cameroon 1-0 in the final.

“I was unsettled on the bench, so I requested assistant coach Josp Barasa to give me a chance. Barasa and head coach Paul Bitok consulted and I was introduced in the second set alongside Triza Atuka. The changes made all the difference as we managed to level the sets before we won the title 3-1,” recalls Chepchumba.

“That’s how I cemented my position as a right attacker in the national team and club level having started out as a left attacker. I have served well in that department and I know my teammates would rather have me as a right attacker because they think I cannot receive well,” she adds.

Chepchumba, who was part of the team that qualified for this year’s World Championship to be co- hosted in Poland and Netherlands, has challenged the Kenya Volleyball Federation to insure players.

“Various clubs have insured their players. I recall Anne Lowem and Edina Mwombe were injured while on national duty.They were not catered for and it’s their clubs which came through for them. Look at Atuka and Evelyne Makuto, were it not for Pipeline and Prisons, maybe they would not have come back to play,” says Chepchumba.

“Again, what happens after they have recovered from the injury? The least they can do is to give them a chance back to the national team as that will inspire them,” she added.