Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) received a major boost on Saturday after betPawa unveiled a KES 17.3 million sponsorship package for the 2026/2027 National League season, moments before Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) wrapped up the 2025/2026 men's title and Kenya Pipeline revived their hopes of retaining the women's crown by forcing a decisive third match against Prisons Kenya at Kasarani Indoor Arena, Nairobi.
Uveiled during the National League playoffs, the multimillion sponsorship will see betPawa introduce its "Locker Room Bonus" initiative, rewarding every winning team with direct payments to players and technical staff throughout next season.
KPA from Mombasa successfully defended their men's title after completing a 2-0 series victory over Juja-based Chema Volleyball Club winning Saturday's second match in straight sets 25-21, 25-20, 25-21 after scraping through Friday's opener 3-2 (25-19, 22-25, 27-29, 25-19, 16-14).
In the women's final, reigning champions Kenya Pipeline bounced back from Friday's 3-1 loss to beat Prisons Kenya 3-0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-18), tying the best-of-three series at 1-1 and setting up Sunday's winner-takes-all decider.
Earlier, Prisons Kenya claimed the men's bronze medal after trouncing Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) 2-0 in the third-place playoff series.
Prisons recovered from an early deficit in the deciding fifth set to edge KDF 3-2 (25-23, 25-19, 23-25, 24-26, 15-12). KDF had raced to a 6-3 lead in the tie-break before Prisons rallied to level at 6-6 and stretched the advantage to 14-9 before eventually sealing victory.
KCB Bank also completed a 2-0 sweep over Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to secure the women's bronze medal, winning Saturday's second match 3-1 after taking the opening fixture on Friday.
Pipeline dominated much of the women's game two final, taking the opening two sets comfortably before holding their nerve in a tightly contested third.
The third set swung several times, with Pipeline recovering from 7-3 down to level at 7-7 before both sides traded points.
The match was briefly interrupted after Pipeline's Leonida Kasaya suffered an injury before Prisons receiver Pamela Masaisai also limped off.
Pipeline regained control late in the set through powerful attacks from Noel Murambi to open a 22-17 lead before wrapping up the match 25-18.
Pipeline coach Geoffrey Omondi attributed the turnaround to tactical adjustments.
"We went back to the drawing board. We changed our attack formation and our services, making them more accurate and faster. That gave us an edge because our opponents could no longer execute the moves they wanted," said Omondi.
Despite leveling the series, Omondi insisted his side would not underestimate Prisons in Sunday's decider.
"Our opponents are very fierce and very tricky. We are not putting our guards down. We will go back to training to rectify a few things before the final match," he said.
The coach is also awaiting a medical report on Kasaya before finalising his plans.
Prisons coach Josp Barasa admitted his side fell below expectations.
"Today we didn't play well. From reception, setting and attacking, we didn't perform. Yesterday we won 3-1, so now we have to prepare well for tomorrow," said Barasa.
He also expressed hope that injured Masaisai would recover in time for the title decider.
"Pamela is my best receiver. I hope the medical team will help her recover so she can be available tomorrow," he said.
Away from the court, KVF celebrated one of the biggest commercial deals in the federation's history after betPawa committed KES 17.3 million towards next season's league.
Country Manager Chrispus Mogere said the sponsorship would directly reward winning teams through the Locker Room Bonus programme.
"Once a team wins and the result is verified by the federation, every player will receive KES 4,000 before leaving the dressing room. The bonus covers 14 players and two members of the technical bench," explained Mogere.
He noted that the initiative translates to KES 17.3 million for the coming season, adding that betPawa had also injected Sh1 million into this season's playoffs.
KVF president Charles Nyaberi hailed the partnership, saying it places players at the centre of the federation's development agenda.
"This has put a smile on every volleyball player and official because everything we do revolves around the player. betPawa has come up with the idea of rewarding players directly after every victory, which will motivate every team to compete even harder," said Nyaberi.
National team captain Mercy Moim welcomed the sponsorship, describing it as a historic moment for Kenyan volleyball.
"This is the first time our league has such sponsorship. For the young players, this is your time. Work extra hard because now we have sponsors supporting the game," she advised.
Men's Most Valuable Player Davis Omoro also praised the investment, saying it had come at the right time as Kenya continued producing talented players capable of excelling across Africa and the world.
