Kenya against Egypt during the finals of the Women’s Africa Championships/ HANDOUT ‎Egypt ended Kenya’s reign as African women’s volleyball champions after sweeping the Malkia Strikers 3-0 in the final of the 2026 CAVB Women’s African Nations Championship at Kasarani Indoor Arena on Friday evening.‎
‎The Pharaohs won 25-21, 25-15, 25-15 to claim their first continental title since 2003, while Kenya settled for silver.
‎Cameroon toom the bronze medal spot while Rwanda finished fourth followed by Tunisia and Algeria in fifth and sixth place respectively.
‎Kenya’s second-place finish also secured qualification for the 2027 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup.
Read Also
Malkia Strikers book 2027 World Cup ticket, eye LA Olympic slot Sports
FKF Executive Committee to decide fate of SportPesa League season Football
KCB reload as Matano targets silverware Football
‎Egypt meanwhile earned a golden ticket to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
‎Egypt completed a perfect campaign without dropping a set, beating Burkina Faso, Senegal, Uganda, Burundi, Tunisia and Rwanda before Kenya.
‎Kenya had also been unbeaten, beating Zambia 3-0, Mali 3-0, Nigeria 3-0, Algeria 3-1 and Cameroon 3-0 before the final.
‎The opening set lived up to its billing, with the two sides trading points and neither able to establish a decisive advantage until Egypt edged away late to take it 25-21.
‎The packed Kasarani arena erupted in the second set as Kenya sought a response, but Egypt's technical precision, service pressure and disciplined blocking began to expose weaknesses in the hosts' reception. 
‎Egypt opened a sizeable gap and closed out the set 25-15.
‎There was no comeback in the third as Egypt maintained their pressure, forcing Kenya into errors and disrupting their attacking rhythm before sealing the title with another 25-15 win.
‎Kenya's defeat ended their bid for an 11th title. 
‎They had won the championship 10 times, most recently in 2023 when they beat Egypt 3-0 in the final. 
‎Egypt's previous titles came in 1976, 1989 and 2003.
‎Malkia's head coach Geoffrey Omondi admitted Egypt executed their game plan better.
‎“Egypt came with a very good game plan. They are a very technical team and they were able to execute what they wanted to do. They put pressure on our reception, served very well and made it difficult for us to run the kind of attack we wanted,” said Omondi.
‎He said losing at home was particularly painful but urged the team to use the experience to prepare for bigger assignments.
‎“It is painful to lose at home, especially after the support we have received from Kenyans. We wanted to finish the job in front of our fans, but we have to accept the result, regroup and work better towards the bigger tasks ahead.”
‎Omondi also raised concerns over the team's preparations, saying greater support could have made a difference.
‎“We needed support. The girls needed to feel that everybody was behind them."‎
‎Captain Meldina Sande admitted Kenya failed to execute the coach's instructions effectively.
‎“We followed what the coach told us to do, but unfortunately things did not work our way. We tried to execute the game plan, but there were moments when we lost concentration and Egypt took advantage.”
‎Sande identified service and reception as areas Kenya must improve.
‎“Our reception and service are still wanting. When your reception is not good, it becomes difficult for the setter to organise the attack. Against a team like Egypt, you cannot give them those opportunities.”
‎Egypt captain Sarah Amin said her team never expected an easy victory.
‎“We did not expect that we would just come here and win. We knew Kenya are a very strong team, so we came pushing ourselves and believing that we could do it.”
‎Amin added that the home crowd did not intimidate Egypt.
‎“The crowd did not scare us. We are used to playing in a packed indoor arena. The atmosphere gave us more motivation to play our game.”
‎Marian Sokoiyo was recognised as Best Middle Blocker, while Terry Tata earned the Best Opposite award. 
‎The individual honours underlined Kenya’s strong showing despite losing the final to Egypt.
‎The Egyptian champions dominated the Dream Team, with Zeina Elalamy named Most Valuable Player, while Nada Essa was selected as Best Libero and Dana Emam as Best Setter.
‎Despite the loss, Malkia Strikers were awarded with Sh1 million by Sports CS Salim Mvurya for their valiant efforts of reaching the final.