Carving a niche for water polo in Kenya’s sports pool landscape

On a sunny afternoon at the YMCA swimming pool in Nairobi, a group of athletes treads water with unwavering determination. Their mission? To carve a place for water polo in Kenya’s sports landscape. While the sport remains relatively unknown in the country, Team Aqua Mamba is taking the lead, training relentlessly, recruiting new players, and pushing for recognition. They have their eyes set on Kenya’s first-ever national water polo tournament, to be held on May 17, 2025.

Collins Jerry, the team captain of Aqua Mamba, first discovered water polo as a 14-year-old teenager. “I used to come swim here at the YMCA, and at that time, we had a number of people playing, but it was all for fun. I was a bit young, but I joined the group and grew into it,” the 25-year-old says.

Over the years, Collins has honed his skills and developed a deep love for the game. Now, as a coach training toddlers in water safety, Collins is helping others build confidence in the water and using his experience to mentor younger players in water polo.

“We are trying to grow the sport to be able to play professionally. We currently don’t have a Kenyan water polo team but we are making strides and we have the first inaugural tournament set for May 17.”

According to Collins, the sport has taken a long to be embraced in the country because it requires excellent swimming skills.

“Water polo is a game that requires both swimming expertise and ball-handling skills. This presents a unique challenge in a country where swimming itself has a high barrier to entry. Most people struggle with swimming. Apart from having the ability to swim, you also need to be able to efficiently pass and play with the ball all while not touching the floor of the pool. Since most people don’t know how to swim very well, our recruitment is from a very small group of people who actually know how to swim,” Collins told The EastAfrican.

Despite this challenge, Aqua Mamba has grown to have a steady group of 15 to 16 regular players and more than 30 on-and-off participants.

What it takes to grow an emerging sport

Unlike established sports like football and rugby, water polo in Kenya lacks formal structures. Paul Mungai, the coordinator of Team Kenya Water Polo, has been at the forefront in trying to secure the much-needed resources for the sport. “Getting equipment has been a challenge. We have partnered with organizations like KAP7 in the United States to secure goalposts, balls, and specialized gear. USA Water Polo has also been supportive, helping to train our coaches and players,” Paul says.

Despite these efforts, water polo remains relatively unknown. “Most people in the swimming community don’t understand what water polo is,” Paul says, adding, “Thanks to international partnerships and persistent lobbying, we are slowly creating more awareness about the sport. Right now, we are hosting control clinics where we are looking to train and inform people across the country about water polo.”

Paul’s journey into water polo began when he worked as a lifeguard. A friend invited him to a Sunday session at the YMCA, and though initially skeptical, he soon found himself intrigued. “I played one game and thought, ‘This is not for me,’” he says with a laugh. “But then I returned for a second session and was hooked. The things about water polo is that it will test your patience. You will find that if someone gets the ball you need to try and grab the ball back with only one hand. If you hold it with two hands, then that becomes a foul,” he continues.

Over time, Paul became one of water polo’s fiercest advocates, reaching out to organisations for support, pushing the Kenya Aquatics to recognise water polo, and even traveling across Africa to establish partnerships. “I have been in talks with Ghana, Uganda, and Tanzania to establish an East African water polo network. If we have tournaments across the region, it will give our players more exposure and competition,” the 26-year-old says.

For Dave Kiarie, another water polo player and swim coach, the growth of water polo represents a new challenge beyond traditional swimming. “I found out about water polo through friends at the University of Nairobi. It seemed more fun than just doing laps in the pool. It’s a physically demanding sport, requiring mental toughness because you’re treading water the entire time. It’s like rugby, basketball, and handball all combined, but in water,” he explains about this sport.

Dave’s background in sports runs deep. Having started swimming at six, he was always drawn to competitive sports. He played rugby in high school, enjoying the team element of the game. When he discovered water polo, it felt like the perfect blend of his past experiences. Now, he balances his role as a swimming coach for triathletes with his passion for water polo, sacrificing time to ensure he can train regularly. “You can never truly find balance,” he reflects. “You have to sacrifice something. If you love something, you prioritise it.”

According to Dave, teamwork is at the heart of the sport. The 25-year-old explains, “The same way with a high-value team, everyone has to be consistent. Everyone has to be intentional about getting better. As long as everyone is on the same page, that’s when you can see good teamwork. If there is a weak link, the question is how fast do you solve that weak link?”

What does he love most about the game? “I love the way it’s physical; it’s a contact sport. If a rugby fan watched a water polo game, they’d be very happy. It’s very physical and requires a lot of mental toughness because you’re not standing in the water; you’re treading the whole time. You need to be mentally tough to even fight for the ball. You need to be a good swimmer. At least, you should be able to do 20 laps comfortably in the pool, consistently,” he tells us.

Women in water polo

Catriona Akinyi is one of the few women playing water polo in Kenya. She acknowledges the difficulty in getting more female players to commit. “The most challenging part is getting ladies to consistently come for training. One day, you have five, the next day, you’re two,” she says.

The lack of specialised gear for women is also a challenge. “Seeing that water polo is a contact sport, the swimsuit for ladies is different from regular swimsuits. It has a zipper at the back to prevent opponents from grabbing onto straps, but these aren’t easily available in Nairobi. I had to get mine through Cap7.”

Catriona’s journey in water polo began long ago. She believes the physical nature of the sport may deter some women. A longtime swimmer, she first encountered the sport in 2014 at the YMCA but dismissed it as too rough. “It looked like a very rough affair. I thought, ‘There’s no way I’m getting into that.’” However, by 2022, she noticed a shift in how the sport was played. “They were now following proper rules, and I felt safer. So I gave it a shot and found I enjoyed it.” Catriona, an administrative and communications assistant, struggles to balance her work and training schedule but remains committed to the sport.

Water polo presents unique challenges for women, both in terms of participation and consistency. Catriona says that the learning curve for beginners can be steep, often discouraging new female players. “When someone comes and plays for the first time, and they find it difficult, they might feel like everyone else is too advanced. We don’t always have enough time to separate beginners from experienced players, so they end up feeling out of place and may not return.”

Beyond the skill gap, the physicality of water polo can also be intimidating for some women. “That’s what kept me away for a long time. However, I believe that having more female players would make the sport more welcoming. When you’re many ladies, you can play among yourselves. You don’t have to play with the men. It’s still a contact sport, but it will be contact between ladies, and we’re getting better at following the rules, so it should be safer now,” she says.

Arnold Muteti, one of the older members of the Aqua Mamba Team who learned to swim six years ago, says that anyone can play water polo. “They say teaching an old dog new tricks is hard, but not for me. Water polo has taught me that everything is possible if you put your mind to it,” the 48-year-old says.

“I used to come here at the YMCA and watch swimmers from a distance. Watching others glide smoothly through the water sparked the desire to dive in and learn. I started with swimming lessons and life-saving training. My fascination with water grew, and in 2022, I joined the water polo training sessions,” Arnold explained about his journey.

For Arnold, “Water polo reinforced the belief that commitment and determination make anything possible. The sport instilled in me the mindset that with the right energy and focus, success is achievable in any challenge undertaken. Adapting to the game came with hurdles, particularly in catching up with more experienced players. The frustration of not reaching the ball or conceding goals served as motivation to improve,” he says.

How it is played

Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with more goals at the end of the game wins the match. Each team is made up of six field players and one goalkeeper. Excluding the goalkeeper, players participate in both offensive and defensive roles. It is typically played in an all-deep pool where players cannot touch the bottom.

A game consists mainly of the players swimming to move about the pool, treading water (mainly using the eggbeater kick), passing the ball, and shooting at the goal. Teamwork, tactical thinking and awareness are also highly important aspects. Water polo is a highly physical and demanding sport and has frequently been cited as one of the most difficult to play.

Special equipment for water polo includes a water polo ball, a ball of varying colours which floats on the water; numbered and coloured caps; and two goals, which either float in the water or are attached to the sides of the pool.