Godfrey Okumu


Godfrey Owese Okumu is a Kenyan volleyball coach. He is also a former player who has played for the Kenyan national volleyball team. Okumu is a native of Nyanza.

Playing career

As a player, Okumu played for various clubs as well as the Kenyan men's national volleyball team from 1990 to 2003. After his retirement, he moved to Japan.He worked as an English teacher in the Kumamoto Prefecture in 2002 before coaching.

Coaching career

Godfrey Okumu is a holder of a FIVB Level 3 coaching certificate and is a member of the Japanese Society of Volleyball Research.

In Japan

After his playing career, Okumu moved to Japan sometime in the 2000s. Okumu served as part of the coaching staff of the Oita Miyoshi Weisse Adler men's professional volleyball club from 2006 to 2012. He also served as coach of the Hataka Girls High School volleyball team as well.

Kenyan women's national team

The Kenyan women's national team had Okumu as part of their coaching staff at the 2006 and 2010 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championships, as well as in the 2011 and 2015 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cups.

In the Philippines

The UP Lady Fighting Maroons volleyball collegiate team under head coach Jerry Yee trained with Okumu as early as June 2016. Following Yee's resignation from his post on September 2017, Okumu was announced as the new head coach of the women's volleyball team of the University of the Philippines on November 2017. Okumu will start leading the team in UAAP Season 80 which was slated for 2018. Okumu has said that he will introduce the "Japanese style" of play to the collegiate team which he learned in his Japan stint.

Personal life

Okumu has a daughter named Hawi Fuyumi, who plays professionally in Japan. As of 2017, Fuyumi plays for Hitachi Rivale.