Nzinga Kyalo, the only certified beach volleyball referee in the country, wanted to be a conventional international referee in 2015, but there was no vacancy.
The quota of international conventional referees given by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to Kenya was five, and they had all been filled. This brought the number of Kenyan international referees to eight.
Kenya Volleyball Federation Secretary Genera,l then Evans Wasike, advised Kyalo, a biology and mathematics teacher at Ngungani Secondary School in Kitui County, to instead pursue a beach volleyball International referee qualification in Dakar, Senegal.
“We had a slot at the beach refereeing course in Senegal and since I had trained him and he had done well in the conventional course Level One in 2005. I suggested he tries out beach volleyball," says Wasike of how he convinced Kyalo to go for the beach referee course.
The 45-year-old father of three children, who is currently with the Kenya men’s and women’s teams in the 2025 Continental Championships that began yesterday in Martil, Morocco, says he was glad he followed the advice of Wasike to switch codes.
“Maybe I wouldn’t be travelling the way I’m travelling now. I owe all these to Wasike and my other mentors, international referee Charles Wambua and retired international John Odundo, who have held my hand.
“Wasike was my instructor in 2005, where I emerged top in our class, Wambua taught me Level Two in Kitu,i where once again I finished top in the class, as Odundo taught me - Diploma - in Mombasa in 2012, and I was ranked first in his class. I was a good student, and maybe that was the reason Wasike challenged me to register for the beach course,” said Kyalo.
“I’m the only FIVB-certified beach volleyball referee in the country. I am honoured to represent Kenya at the international level. I’m also humbled, but it can also be overwhelming, and I hope more referees will be trained.
“I have gone to countries that I only read and heard and featured in many competitions. This is really fulfilling. It’s a must for beach volleyball teams to travel with a referee and failure to which the country is fined. And therefore, I have been able to travel with the Kenya teams in each and every competition they have competed in and I’m happy that the sacrifice and risk I took is paying off,” he added.
Kyalo reveals he had to take a loan to pay for his beach volleyball referee course.
“I paid Sh300,000 as participation fee. This is a lot of money and I know not many people would have taken the risk. But looking back now, I’m glad I did,” said Kyalo.
Kyalo, who holds a conventional Level Two refereeing course, revealed that he studied under renowned Egyptian referee Ehab Osman after the course during the Zone Five beach qualifiers in Tanzania.
How does he juggle between being a referee and a teacher?
“If you don’t plan yourself then one of the two will fail. I have been able to master how to go about it. For example, when I know there is an upcoming event, I make use of every free time at school meaning that I cover the syllabus way ahead of time and so if I have to be out of the country, the students don’t miss out. Also, I have gotten good support from the school management and the ministries of education and sports,” said Kyalo.
He played volleyball for Kabaa Secondary School before joining Kenyatta University to pursue a Bachelor of Education degree.
“As much as I didn’t achieve much as a player, I’m happy that I associate with the sport on another level. I didn’t play at the international stage, but I hope my children who love and play the sport will excel where I failed. My daughter Angela plays for St Annas Muthale Girls in school games while the other two children who are still at Primary school also play the sport, “says Kyalo.
He wants to advance his beach volleyball referee certification and become the most qualified person in the trade in Kenya.
