Kenyans Rally to Help Destitute Former Female Champion Boxer  · Global Voices
Richard Wanjohi

On 3 September 2012, Kenyan television station Kiss TV broadcast a moving interview with former female professional boxer Conjestina Achieng, who made a name for Kenyan boxing across the continent. Achieng is currently destitute and suffering from mental illness.
The former boxing champ has like many former sports personalities, seen the authorities turn their back on her even after she made a name for the country with her impressive achievements.
She won the GBU (Global Boxing Union) Middleweight title in 2004 after knocking out Fiona Tugume of Uganda. In 2005, she again won the WIBF (Women's International Boxing Federation) middleweight crown by knocking out Guillermina Hernandez of Argentina. She also did contested for the middleweight division in the WBU (World Boxing Association).
Following this story, there was a great outpouring of emotions, comments and views from Kenyans online. On Twitter, under the hashtag #KOT4Conje (KenyansOnTwitter for Conjestina) netizens made a passionate appeal to fans to raise money for her medical and other expenses.
Here are samples of the responses:
@EADestination: Three cheers to the Kenyan public supporting our national boxing heroine! #KOT4Conje on.fb.me/RHYXRH
@kiokoj_Official: We are sinners if we can treat our sports men and women like this! #KOT4CONJE
@ZawadiN: The media coverage of #ConjestinaAchieng is still disturbing. Can't the story be told while protecting her privacy? #KOT4CONJE
@iammutukufred: #WhatsMoreImportantThanVPResidence #KOT4CONJE ! [referring to the new residence built for Kenya's vice president which cost the taxpayer figures in the region of KSh. 400 million]
‘Conjestina Achieng Will Rise Again’
Conjestina Achieng in practice – Image courtesy of Empoweringladychitchat.blogspot.com
There were also a couple of bloggers who found time to write something regarding this unfortunate state of affairs. NairobiOne stated this in their post, ‘Conjestina Achieng Will Rise Again':
Konvigilante also had this to say about Conjestina's state:
The Pride of Kenya who set the stage for all Kenyan female boxers, Conjestina Achieng’ has recently emerged from oblivion and dominated the social sites. This time not to re-live her glory days as Kenya’s female boxer ranked 5th in the world but to depict the misfortune that befell her along the way.
It seems that life has gone sour for our once ”Hands of Stone” champion. She is now claimed to have gone mad and is now forced to live in deplorable conditions in a one roomed house on the outskirts of Nairobi despite having the opportunity to brush shoulders with the mighty like Laila Ali (Mohammed Ali’s daughter).
SportsKenya's blog post asked about other sports personalities who may be suffering from conditions such as Conjestina's or worse:
A section of mainstream media yesterday showed us the deplorable state that one of Kenya's better known female boxers Conjestina Achieng is living in. Last year she was checked into a mental facility after her sister managed to get the media to highlight her plight and was released though it has been claimed she's still on the verge of ruin from substance abuse and depression.
We share our concerns and hope that Conjestina's condition improves. But of greater concern is what happens to many other former sports personalities. From former footballers to former athletes and boxers we have seen the sorry state that most of them have ended up in. Abuse of alcohol, cases of depression as well as abandonment from their handlers are some of the issues they suffer from.
In a country where social services are still very deficient especially for the middle-aged and the ageing, the Government has not helped matters too by having not much in structures to look into such issues. It's even worse for sports personalities who have to look at their respective sports federations and organisations most of which still struggle to manage daily affairs let alone the very sports people they ought to think of.
Brandlyf asked this on its blog, Who is a True Kenyan?
Journalism Dry Cleaner a blog by a former journalist, admonished the mainstream media for a poor job in covering the story:
Sitawa Wafula in her blog raises serious concerns about mental illness in Kenya and how Conjestina still remains her hero despite her state:
She also summarises her post appropriately as follows:
On Thursday, 13 September, prominent Kenyan personalities came together via a tweet-up ( informal meet-up) to raise funds for the boxer and her family. Using the Twitter hash-tag #PamojaConje and now with a Twitter handle @PamojaConje, the personalities were able to raise over 100,000 Kenyan Shillings (about US$ 1,200) on the first night.
In light of this issue, many Kenyans have asked the Kenyan Government to put in place structures that would ensure retired sports personalities do not suffer in their retirement. A proposed Sports Bill has been in the offing to finance such developments but whether it will be enacted into law before the end of the year is another thing.
As for now, the retired sports personalities will have to rely on the ingenuity and generosity of the Kenyan public.