Rwanda-based Kenyan volleyballers in fierce playoff battles
By Luke Oluoch, February 20, 2026A contingent of Kenyan coaches and volleyball players plying the Rwandese top league volleyball teams is set for a gruelling league phase as the regular season nears its end to pave the way for the postseason playoffs.
According to standings released ahead of the Friday, February 20, 2026, fixtures of the final leg, APR women lead proceedings in the women’s division, with Kepler and Police Women coming distant second and third, respectively.
The team under coach Justin Kigari has so far garnered 30 points in the league in its second round and is heading to the final decisive rounds of games.
Favourites
The haul places them four points above Kepler, with Police, home to Malkia Strikers captain Meldina Sande, coming in third with ten points adrift.
They remain favourites to clinch a playoff berth that puts them in contention for the regular season championship, a feat that saw them add to their remarkable achievements, having recently won the 2026 Heroes Volleyball Tournament.
The men’s group has similarly witnessed fierce competition with high stakes for the playoff spots.
APR, home to Dennis Esokon and Kenyan coach Sammy Mulinge, leads the pile on 33 points after 14 games.
Gisagara VC comes second with two points, the close challengers being ranked inferiorly on lost sets.
Kenyan Nicholas Matui, who joined the REG team in 2025, is ranked fourth in the pile with 27 points.
Matui joined the Rwanda Energy Group (REG) in November 2025 in a massive restructuring that also saw Ugandan coach Benon Mugisha handed the club reins.
Police VC, which has two Kenyans in its ranks, Brian Melly and Wafalme’s opposite hitter Elphas Makuto, is ranked fifth with 26 points.
The Rwandan league is divided into two main phases (Phase I and Phase II), with matches played in a round-robin style (teams face each other multiple times across rounds and phases).
Playoff procedure
The top 4 teams (in men’s and women’s categories separately) advance to the playoffs. For the 2025/26 season, this uses a best-of-five series format (a team needs 3 wins to advance or win the championship).
This is a departure from previous years’ best-of-three (2 wins to win a series). Playoffs run from March to early April 2026.
The APR men’ and police women’s clubs are the reigning champions of the top league.