“He was so tiny but always wanted to be involved. If he was not running after a ball outside the court, he was running into the court trying to blow his dad’s whistle. He always found a way to disrupt the flow of the training and to be honest he felt like a nuisance,” Wanja laughs at this memory.

It’s at Kahawa youth that coach Walukhu introduced future Malkia Strikers players Wanja and libero Elizabeth Wanyama to volleyball.

It was a team composed of children of army officers residing at Kahawa Barracks and its environs and Walukhu would gather them for training on weekends as he made his transition to coaching.

His son, Sam Juma would always tag along to the training ground and that’s how he developed an interest in volleyball from a young age.

While the Kahawa Youth academy (now defunct) went on to produce women national team players such as Wanja and Elizabeth Wanyama, Juma remains the only beneficiary to have played for the men’s national team, Wafalme Stars.

“In the family set-up, I had a lot of hope on his sisters Yelena and Nancy to play high level volleyball so to be honest Sam caught me as a surprise. Among the boys in the academy, I thought Elijah Bosire would be the one to make it to the national team.

“At some point in primary school, Sam developed interest in football and I thought that was the end of him with volleyball. But in high school, he started playing volleyball again and I am so proud of him that he has gone all the way to the national team,” Walukhu told Nation Sport.

Unlike other players who start playing as liberos after trying out other positions, this is the position Juma has played all his life. Since he made his national team debut in 2016, he has owned the position and is the main man in reception duties for Wafalme Stars here in Cairo at this year’s African Nations Championship.

“Playing as a libero since I was young has helped me understand this position. It’s a very demanding position that calls for a lot of concentration and good ball handling. It’s no longer the position where you come to retire because modern volleyball requires the libero to command the back court at all times when receiving and defending,” Juma displays full mastery of his role.

In the opening match against Cameroon on Monday, he was operating at 62 percent efficiency in reception, a statistic he wasn’t so happy about.

“As a libero, you will always be the unsung hero in the team and you have to live with it. When I play well, I can feel it because our game flows and attackers will get all the praise. People only notice how well the ball was attacked but don’t remember there was someone who had to dig or receive.

“On a bad day, that’s when people realise the game is not flowing because reception is not good. You have to be your biggest fan because rarely will people congratulate you. I’ve gotten used to it by now and always try my best to get my job done,” he adds philosophically.

Juma is grateful to his father Walukhu, himself a former Kenyan international, for his “tough love” which has made him a mainstay in the Wafalme Stars set-up.

“Anytime I watched Wanja and Elizabeth play at Kasarani, I used to say that one day I will play for the national team. My father kept on encouraging me and I’m happy that my dream has come true eventually.   

“Before every game I have to share the link with him so that he can watch. He takes notes and afterwards we have to do a review of my performance based on his analysis. He advises me on how to position myself in order to cover well and this motivates me a lot to keep improving,” said a beaming Juma.

Now in his third African Nations championship appearance, Juma is confident that Wafalme Stars can be a force to reckon with if accorded the right support.

“We have been growing in every edition and it's clear that there is a lot of potential in this team. Building a successful team takes time and I believe if we get similar support as Malkia Strikers then Kenya will surprise many people,” asserted Juma.

Wanja, an Olympian and a veteran of three World Championship, has tipped Juma to have a long career with the national team and possibly still be around when their breakthrough at the global level finally arrives.

“I was surprised when later on I saw him playing as a libero because I expected him to be a setter like his father. He has all the qualities of a good libero. He is also hard working, passionate and disciplined that’s why he has been at the top for some time.

“Liberos just like setters get better with age so I expect him to play for the national team for a long time," predicted Wanja.