The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) has awarded the national women’s volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, Sh6.4 million (USD 50,000) scholarship to support preparations and qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

NOC-K Secretary General John Ogola said the funds, sourced from Olympic Solidarity, will be disbursed gradually from now until 2028.

"The Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) will utilise the funds by picking on key championships that will be pivotal in making Malkia Strikers book a ticket to the USA for the Olympics," said Ogola.

The scholarship was officially presented during a ceremony held at the Nyayo National Gymnasium in Nairobi on January 20, 2026, attended by NOC-K officials.

Ogola revealed that several Kenyan sports federations had applied for the Olympic Solidarity scholarship, with the women’s volleyball team being one of the teams that emerged successful.

"The Olympic Solidarity granted Malkia Strikers the scholarship basing on their past performances and achievements," said the Secretary General.

He explained that Imternational Olympic Committee's Olympic Solidarity typically awards such scholarships to teams with a strong likelihood of qualifying for the Olympic Games.

The programme’s core mandate is to support National Olympic Committees through athlete development initiatives, especially those with greater financial and developmental needs.

Ogola emphasized the importance of early preparation, noting that receiving the scholarship well ahead of the Games would significantly boost Malkia Strikers’ qualification prospects.

The Kenya Volleyball Federation vice president Paul Bitok welcomed the scholarship, thanking NOC-K for the timely support, which he said would enhance the team’s Olympic ambitions.

Bitok noted that qualification requires substantial logistical funding and that the scholarship had arrived at a critical moment in the team’s preparation cycle.

"We have been offered a great opportunity of qualifying for the Olympics. At the moment we only need 54 points to qualify. Although the funds are still not enough, we shall use what we have got in taking part in major events to boost our points tally," said Bitok.

Kenya is currently ranked 21^st globally in women’s volleyball and sits atop the African rankings with 158 points. Cameroon follows in second place in Africa with 76 points, and then Egypt with 46 points, while Algeria has 28 points.

According to Bitok, the first major competition on Malkia Strikers’ qualification roadmap is the Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled to take place from August 23 to September 3, 2026.