 Good afternoon and welcome to the Touchline on Y254. My name is Maxwell Waseeku, of course we are talking matters, putting disciplines both local and beyond until 3 o'clock. Keep it here and of course join the conversation at Waseeku Maxwell at Touchline Y254, at Y254 channel. Of course I'm here with Ken Andrew, my guest co-host and Amanu has been ably gracing the show in often times and Moses Mbudia we are glad and honored to have him this particular afternoon to talk about beach volleyball status and development of the sport in the country. So welcome on board let's get started Ken. How are you doing man? Yeah I'm fine. It's been a long week full of fantastic sporting events and I can't wait to dive into them with you. Definitely. Moses Mbudia, for the first time being here, how does it feel? Well now I'm happy to meet very good friends here with some of them with a very nice goatee and of course very nice crew people who are with you here. They need to discuss matters beach volleyball. Definitely. Beach volleyball of course it was represented in Tokyo during the just concluded Olympics in Japan. How did we fare? Well started the way back in 2010 when we decided to lay down some beach coat in Nyaya Stadium where we have a hardball coat and we laid down the sand from Ukambani and we were able to set up two beach coats which were artificial because we did put a polythene paper and some of the girls who participated in the year 2010 are the girls who represented us in Olympic. But it's a long journey because if you look and remember very well in 2011 we had the activity in Maputo where our girls managed the bronze medal. Thereafter our girls didn't do very well in Congo Brassaville but in the year 2020 in the all African games they managed the silver medal and now God gave us the gold medal during the African qualifier for Olympics and our girls in Al-Gadil managed position one in 54 country in Africa. Has it been like since it was introduced I know it's a new sport with new dynamics Sintrikas is a plenty of them involved in making it better and making it grow in the country. I've seen an initiative being launched to take it to the county level in partnership with secondary schools. How is the progress so far? Well I can say that it has been received very well purely because the girls did manage to go to the Olympics and people here are like oh beach volleyball is an Olympic sport and quite a number of young ones, old ones, middle aged they are all eager to join this game and I can tell you the primary school the secondary school the colleges and even the other members of the convection of volleyball they are willing to join the beach volleyball. You've asked a question that needs a very direct answer how has it been received very positively by quite a number the governor Nyeri Edward Kahiga has said he want to start up a beach court this morning we had a conversation with his ex in the governor of Nyandarwa who did say that he want to start it yesterday we have talked to the chairman of Kenya primary school sports association in Nyeri want to start it yesterday talked to the sports officer in McQuinney Mr. Kisui and he says that he doesn't have to start a beach court because he is breast with the sun in the dry varies of some of the rivers that we have in Kambani so we are saying also in Nyandarwa we have it in Sindobee where the governor and the management of sports in Homa Be County they want to set up a beach court and at the same time to have a tournament or what we call in the language of beach as the beach circuits so we want to start with a beach circuit in Homa Be in one of the beach that we have in beta called Sindobee Ken as a sportsman yourself as a footballer do you think the emergence of this new sporting disciplines would thrive in the country do you think it's high time now Kenyans give them much needed backing and support if they have to get to another level yeah I think that's always needed proper investment and proper backing is always needed in whichever sports one may be participating in something like beach volleyball which are not many Kenyans have access to right now and many even might have watched it for the first time during the Olympics it really needs to be put out there for young people who are still growing energetic to try and go into this sport and also for a question from Udia many have watched the Tokyo Olympic the beach volleyball at that time and were able to see that the players involved in the size of the beach or arena was different from the conventional volleyball and would you tell us whether the rules are different or it's just those two well to answer your question directly we have the beach coat is about eight by eight meters and the other thing that we have in the beach volleyball is you must have I mean a well netted string that marks the field because you cannot use a white watch in the field itself and then antenna the other things are the same including the height and but maybe something different that you might have noted is that the kind of attire that our men and women put on small enough to cover the subject but long enough to allow the interest but this is not for the TV and this has really attracted very many people this is why the game is also associated with the tourism and that's why the hotel industry they are willing to start we have Strathmore University they have started they have a beach coat we have hotels like Panari in Nyahururu they want to start we have the Nyahururu Lodge they also want to start we have Elmia hotel in Nyandarwa they also want to start and very many hotel industry we also have the paradise rust here in Kiambu they want to set up a beach coat that is international standard where we might even end up having a continental circuits in there because the manager is willing to start it yesterday and so we are saying a bit of difference because of the attire the field itself is sad and that's why we call it the beach volleyball you also noted that in Japan they did not go to the coastal strip they were inland so they can also be played in the laglock country so to speak you only need to import sad and once you have sad you are good to go wow that's nice to hear so in terms of partnership and collaboration with the existing crop of you know volebol as Kenyan has done very well in volebol especially when it comes to Malkia Strikas though in Japan we didn't perform very well as expected I don't know how has it been like in terms of reaching to the local stars to ensure that we popularize the game well there has always been a conflict between the coaches because they don't want to release their best players into the beach volleyball because they fear that they might get some injuries and this has taken us as a commission a beach volleyball commission it has taken us a lot of energy to convince the team manager and the coaches to transform these people from convection of volebol to beach volleyball what you have done now we have separated the two we have the convection of volebol played up to the mand of agast then the remaining mand until we have the new season we have the beach volleyball being played and that's what happens internationally so there is that plan where we have we accommodate everyone but we would also like to start from zero we would like to have the primary school start this game and by the time they come up they will be beach volebolers not convectional can beach so these are some of the things that we are doing as a commission Samy Moringa who started earlier than me we have Patrick Owino doing a good job we also have our pioneer madame patricia scots who started it very well and it is picked and that's why we are proud of what we are doing now because of those pioneers of years and years when you are behind the mics you are talking about the availability of beaches how has it been like in terms of ensuring that they are available where players can train from and ensure that they perfect their art I will tell you today that Kenya we have a problem because we do not have public beaches and if they are there they are very few and you and I know that in Baburi Baburi you call it what? the pirates yes even if you go set up a beach coat there you will have a nightmare because there are so many people so we are saying one of our bottleneck is that we do not have many public beaches in Kenya we have more of a private beaches than the public beaches unlike a country like Morocco and like a country like Brazil that are doing very well and how does the government to think of setting aside a number of beach coats are very many public beaches along the coastal region and this way we shall be able to achieve a lot you go to Brazil everybody has the access of the beach everybody in Al Gadil in Amina in Arabat in Casabranca in Delta Town they all access the beach and so you can even start your own beach coat without even the federation unlike Kenya and another question Kenya conquered Africa with no beaches at all with no private beaches as you've been saying and if they are to be installed right now built right now how far do you think the Kenya beach volleyball teams will be from conquering other countries of the world not just Africa first we have to create the interests so we may have even those public beaches and then nobody wants the game so first we have to make sure that we remain at the top the tempo we raise the tempo after that level and that we create that awareness and then the people will be interested those who are not very good in convection of volleyball a case in point is Kondensia Makoa she is not doing very well in the convection of volleyball but when she comes to beach volleyball you realize that she is now a superstar and so what we are saying here is we create the awareness we try to inject the interest and there once we have the interest this one becomes like Kasuba and so when it is takes shape everybody will be interested in the game and through that we might not only conquer Africa like we've done but we might end up conquering the world so there is a likelihood that you know a player who has been playing another kind of volleyball conventional if he or she tries beach they might realize that they are better in beach than what they have been doing before Yes, one of our captain if you can remember Dasaba Dasaba was the one who represented us in Maputo or African Games in Dakala was the captain of a telekom team the one who represented us in Maputo so you realize if you are good in convection of you can transform yourself and come and play beach volleyball the Black City Zagara was in 2019 was the most valuable player in our convection of volleyball and so when she did not fit in the national team I quickly and I must have brought my own trumpet here convinced her and she came to beach volleyball and she ended up with the other girls in Tokyo Wow So Ken you know there has been a trok of existence of briefcase federations and sporting disciplines sure this beach volleyball would not be mentioned in that particular sentence and when it comes to international championship we've had a situation where a lot of federations come in public domain now pushing for government support funding to participate but before that you'll never hear of such I know beach volleyball is not is an exemption Well I think you have said it and we cannot hide away from the truth there are quite a number of briefcase I mean federations Beach volleyball is not a federation by itself it is under the umbrella of Kenya volleyball federation I am the chairman of the beach volleyball commission Yes and of course seconded there by the national executive of Kenya volleyball federation and so the 13 members sat down and found that the Boothia is fit to head the department of the beach volleyball so it is not a federation by itself it is under the umbrella of Kenya volleyball federation but even if it was I mean federation by itself you and I know that we have now become Olympians by virtue of taking those girls to the Olympics so it can also be independent if it was independent it cannot be described as a briefcase federation Let's talk about volleyball the status of volleyball in the country and by the virtue of your position as Kenya volleyball federation Nairobi branch chairman What do you think about the game? Are we getting to another level when it comes to growth and development of the sport? I must start by thanking Professor Chiang of Strathmore University because he came up with the initiative and started a beach coat and after that we have been having our circuit in Strathmore University in the interior in the inland and after that we are thinking of now establishing very many other beach coats you have seen for the last two weeks I'm all over the country with the permission of the beach volleyball commission with a few balls that I have I'm able to donate to those who want to start like the Graceland Secondary School like Nyandarua County like Prima School in Nyeri like Makweni and also we are going to donate some to Homabi County so in this case now we are saying we are moving together what we are lacking in the facilities but we shall get them there are quite a number of people now who are calling us how can we help you what can we do because they have seen what we are capable of doing Is the beach volleyball league in Kenya or Nairobi existent and how far how far is it from being a top league and are there many teams who are subscribed to this beach volleyball despite the lack of venues and arenas In beach volleyball we no longer call it a league per se we refer to it as a beach circuit It's a kind of circuit you play in one area you go to another region and in the international world used to have what you call the SWAT circuit and that these circuits must be homorogated they must be recognized by the international body that is the FIVB if you do one at Nyayo or at Strathimo it must be must be given a go ahead by the international body that way even when selecting the Olympic team all those circuits will count all those circuits will count that is why when the Kenya team went to keep VAD and did very well they were never number one because they had not participated in those homorogated circuits so it is a very different game from the others it is not about that game the final game it is about what you have done in the past Tanzanians are very good at that they have been doing it in Darislam which is a number of times our team before living for Morocco they went to Darislam and they did very well they were number one both men and women and so Uganda they also have the beach court in Entebbe and Rwanda they have very nice in Selena in Likikivu so these are some of the these are some of our competitors who are doing very well because of having the homorogated beach circuits and we know that the beach volleyball has picked up heat especially in Kenya especially during the Olympics people have learnt about the players and everything and maybe an interest has been created of as to whether they can watch it on TV is it available on TV yet or it's still been worked on yes if you google beach volleyball you realize from the Olympics London Olympics these things started gaining momentum in the world and the viewership over beach volleyball in the continent and of course in the world is very high if you look at the number of people viewing the beach volleyball you'll be shocked like just before the Olympics we had the beach circuit in Switzerland the number of viewers of very many where the Brazilians won and so what I want to say that there are so many people interested not just playing but also viewing the game I have said if you look at them you realize that they are attractive so to speak if you want to advertise through beach volleyball you realize that you can easily see where the markings are and it is for that reason that we have got very many people getting interested in the beach volleyball as you said there is the artificial venue where someone just creates it indoors in landlocked countries and there is also the beach where it is at the coast the sun hits on everyone and is there a method of protection against the sun because again the attires are smaller have the girls or the guys come up with methods of protection against too much sun when they are playing at the coast yes we have very special capes that are used by the beach volleyball us because of the sun the the the sun that is one two you realize that there are special gogos that are the use are very special we also have special socks which are more or less like shoes that are used by the beach volleyball us so they don't hurt their body and I don't think because of what the sad has had gone through in your geography if you can remember the the breakdown of sad into smaller particles through attrition through solution the particles are very small that they cannot even hurt a fly so in that case you don't expect our our players to be hurt because they are not pambos they are not big pambos it is fine sand yes your passion for the sports for volleyball in general has been overwhelming can we say that you know with the crop and the emergence of other sportsmen and women who are passionate about volleyball when you leave the scene do you have proper replacement coming up well yes we can't be in this thing forever I'm now over 55 years and we must be able to I mean bring up other people who have the passion of the game and I want to say here and now I have even recruited very many members who are supposed to take over from me not that I'm going anywhere anyway but I can watch it from the from the background and I mean advise according there's a pattern but I want to say that I have been able to bring up other people and one problem that is actually hitting us is the problem of the refereeing we only have one referee in Kenya of beach volleyball and I've negotiated with the president of the continent of body madam Bushra from Morocco and soon and very soon we shall host a media clinic where we shall have the volleyballers go into the clinic for refereeing coaches we have quite a number we have Arima we have the gentleman Gideon coach of prison we have Joroke we have Moringa we have Oino we have Sila you can see we have more than five, seven coaches but for the referee we only have one man from Kitui by the name Nzenga he's the only qualified beach referee how has been the support from the government and even Kenya Volleyball Federation which is a pioneer association I know much I must say for example we were funded fully when our boys and girls went to Darisram by knock we were funded fully with a tune of about 1.5 million when we went to Algadil the uniform they have been able to buy for us because they are not easily available in the local market but the whole initiative lies with the chairman of the beach volleyball commission I cannot sit down they are keep lamenting that we are not being funded yet we have a thousand and one people here who want to support the game beach volleyball so in the next few years are we are we becoming a giant a heavyweight in beach volleyball as a sport watch this space watch this space that's all I can tell you yes can maybe your last question Tumbudia before he exits the stage my last question will be about the development process or the edges you know sports like football and basketball if you want to go on and be a professional you have to start from the youngest of edges and there may be someone who's watching it is 24 25 years and would want to start beach volleyball how much progress unlike swimming beach volleyball you can use your best swimmer will be up to the age of 27 beach volleyball and a case in point is what we had in Maputo 2011 madam in Dakala was 41 years yet she participated and won a bronze medal in fact very many volibolas from the convection of volleyball they can graduate and come to beach volleyball but that does not again mean that we cannot have the young one starting and hitting even those old ones so it is a game that we can incorporate both old middle age and the young ones so in a nutshell what I'm saying is this is an open field where we can have everybody on board you are parting shorts you are final words what do you promise those who are passionate about beach volleyball are you getting to you know every secondary school level to county's partnership with them to ensure that we popularize and make the sport grow I would rather look at it horistically and first I have to convince the PS the ministry of education to accommodate this game in both primary and secondary if I sell my idea and it is bought it will be very easy now to sell this game at that level and remember that's our reservoir for very many other sports and so once we have that we have that through the people that have mentioned and of course others take hold us like the secretary general of secondary school the chairman Mr. Urero and the executive officer Mr. Moturi once we convince them and tell them next we have now won the Africa and we have gone to the Olympics please allow us to have this game in secondary it can start in a small way and when we have that this will be as told you to tell in future together with the university Mr. Babu the chairman of Kusa and the other members like Were in the reftivari we shall try to incorporate all of them because this is not about an individual it's about that ownership by all and then the hotel industry they take advantage because of tourism finally I would write you to sign that because this is a ball that we have the dummy one for receiving the team back in Kenya and this is there it looks like it looks like there is plenty of signatures here everybody most of iconic people must have gotten the opportunities to we have everybody signing and so why not you definitely it will be an honor for me to sign and Kenya as well so what was the signature for what was the intention we were welcoming these girls back and we shall have it in our office of a beach volleyball office where we shall have it there and in remembrance of what our girls did in the year 2021 though the games were 2020 definitely of course we've been here with Moses Mbudia chairman Kenya beach volleyball commission talking to us and joining us this particular afternoon to share his thoughts on the development and status of beach volleyball in Kenya he says the sport has some futuristic ambition and he hopes that you know partnership with counties and reaching it amongst secondary schools will enable the sport grow and get to another level thank you Mbudia for coming through always a pleasure thank you sir I appreciate it we taking a short break we will be back next I hope to see you up there in Kenya