Have a look at the biography, family and husband of Janet Wanja
Kenyans are in grief at the death of renowned volleyball player Janet Wanja from cancer.
On Thursday, December 26, Janet Wanja who was undergoing treatment for gallbladder cancer, passed away. Her remains were transferred to the Montezuma Monalisa Funeral Home.
Kenya volleyball player Janet Wanja cause of death reason, biography, age, height, family, brother and husband
She passed on while undergoing treatment at the MP Shah Hospital in Nairobi and Wanja fell ill in August shortly after returning from the Paris Olympics, where she served as the Malkia Strikers’ fitness trainer.
Before that, she had played for Malkia Strikers as a setter for at least 10 years and after announcing her retirement from playing, Wanja was named as one of the coaches for the Kenya women’s volleyball team Malkia Strikers earlier this year.
Jane Wacu, Wanja’s friend and former teammate, was devastated by her passing. Wacu posted a ton of pictures of them playing together with the Malkia Strikers after Wanja passed away.
Rest in heavenly bliss Janet Wanja pic.twitter.com/e69hLAkoK1
— DCI KENYA (@DCI_Kenya) December 27, 2024
Additionally, she shared a video of Wanja discussing her career as a trainer. A picture of her and Wacu when they were playing was behind her. Before Wanja passed away, Wacu stated that she intended to visit her.
40-year-old Janet Wanja was born on 24 February 1984 in Nairobi, Kenya and died on 26 December 2024. Janet was 5ft 9in tall and 59 kg in weight. She attended Mukumu Girls High School and had also attended theh Kahawa Primary School.
Her elder brother Kevin Kimani also played for the AFC Leopards football club and the men’s national football team Harambee Stars and while Wanja was once married to Britisher Andrew Swearman, the two went their separate ways a few years ago. Although she had introduced a new white partner back in 2017, nothing is known about him.
Janet Wanja career
Janet Wanja guided Kenya’s national team to its seventh triumph in the Women’s African Volleyball Championship final against Algeria in 2007 under their then-coach Sammy Kirongo. The “best setter” award went to Wanja, who was a member of the Kenyan squad.
Janet Wanja, a gifted and disciplined volleyball star, served the cause of our country’s sports with honour and dedication.
She was focused, hardworking and a team player.
May it be comfort to her family, friends and the wider sports fraternity that we are praying for them at… pic.twitter.com/JsP8sscw2m
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) December 27, 2024
After winning the last point to give Kenya the victory in straight sets, Dorcas Ndasaba was named the “best player” by the judges. Janet Wanja represented her nation at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, donning the #7 shirt. She finished eleventh on the Kenya women’s national team there.
Wanja made her Olympic debut for the national team in 2004, at the age of 19, in the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and in 2007, she was part of Kenya’s national side that won its seventh victory at the Women’s African Volleyball Championship. In the finals, they played against Algeria. She would then be voted for as the best setter in the championship and the volleyball star would later on represent Kenya at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Japan.
Wanja supported Brackcides Agala, who captained the national team in 2015. After multiple wins, the team declared that they would not be participating in the 2015 FIVB World Grand Prix in Canberra.
The Kenya Volleyball Federation promised them allowances, and the players were irritated that they had not received them. The team played and defeated Peru, and the boycott was successful. The KVF was not happy, though, and neither Janet Wanja nor Brackcides Agala were invited to the qualification matches when the squads for the 2016 Summer Olympics were revealed.
Wanja played for the Kenya Pipeline in the Women’s Africa Club Volleyball Championship in Cairo in 2017. The athlete nearly lost her life nine years prior. Wanja claimed that she believed her stomach problems would cause her to pass away. She praised God for healing her, calling it her worst hour.