The road to success is tough but without a doubt it is tougher for women especially if you consider what they have to endure to make ends meets.
One of those unavoidable challenges are the endless sex advances they will get from their male superiors to keep their jobs, get new jobs, promotions or even salary raise.
It’s the same story in sports circles, especially in disciplines were men are in charging of female teams, either as coaches or managers.
It will take a strong male coach to handle a group of female adults and maintain the coach-player relationship without raising eyebrows, one way or the other things will get out of hand.
Next door in Kenya, a female volleyball player with the senior national team broke that silence accusing officials of preying on her.
Without revealing her name or those of the officials this player gave a Swahili interview to John Lawrence of sde.co.ke.
My journey has not been smooth. When I started playing volleyball at top level, senior players mingled easily with team officials and within no time, I was playing along. It is not easy for a physically-fit young woman who trains daily and eats well not to succumb to such bodily desires.
The player narrated before sharing the challenges that have come with her maintaining her spot on the national team amidst fears of losing her place.
There is pressure to select the team and a number of players are at the peak of their performance. Then someone asks, ‘Apart from your performance, what other talent do you have?’
Kawowo Sports is reliably informed that with tears rolling down her eyes, the player and many of her colleagues have actually gotten in trouble with the wives of these officials.
Not so long ago, there was a time when the team was to leave for Asia and an official kept calling and texting me. He asked to meet me and I obliged. But this man had confused me years ago and almost got me in trouble with his wife.
On many occasions stories of officials forcing players into early retirement have not been welcomed well with various stakeholders, questions will be asked and eyebrows will be raised.
During our meeting, he asked me about my plans to retire, but I told him that I was still strong enough and my body was in great shape and that I believed I can still play for two or three more years. But he told me that younger players in the under-23 team are breathing fire and raring to go, especially after their triumphant outing in Congo (2015 All Africa Games). He said that my four colleagues and I were due for retirement and that our sale-by date had long passed.
The official actually went ahead and offered to save the player from retirement because of his influence not only on the team but also in the media circles
‘I can save you from being retired, but you have to do something for me in return. First, let us start by being close again; you do not have to hate me anymore,’ he said as I sat there watching in disbelief. Then he offered me a chance to redeem my career if I agreed to regularly meet him at night. He said that his connections were far beyond our borders and that he could even marshal local journalists to heap praises on me. He promised that I could be the captain of the team even as the others retire.
Actually many a times these sports women suspend their plans to get a companion settle down and have their own families because of the mental disorganisation that comes with mingling with their superiors.
I have not had a smooth ride with men and at my age, I do not have time for games. But most importantly, I swore never to sleep again with these loose men within the volleyball fraternity.
And by the look of things, the vice is not about to be tamed as the future stars have already fallen prey to the hyenas as the player puts it.
They have spoilt the game and no one respects them anymore. Some of them have already infiltrated the under-23 team and what is going on with some of those innocent girls is disgusting. As I take a bow from the sport, I leave with my head high. I have managed to achieve a lot as a player.
And much as she regrets her actions (like many of them do eventually) she life has offered her a second chance to start afresh.
Hoping that Kenyans will forgive me at the same time learn to support their sports personalities who work hard under very difficult conditions.
She also has a message for the government since it has not been that supportive.
But the biggest let-down is the government. Besides failure to invest on infrastructure, the Kenyan government has forsaken sportswomen and left them at the mercy of ‘marauding hyenas.’
