Conjestina Achieng has been a star name in Kenya since early 2000s as she won several awards being a Kenyan female boxer.
To many people she is known as Conje.
Many upcoming sports people looked up to the champion, hoping that they would reach her levels.
In this article we look at the life of Conjestina and what has conspired since then to date.
The 43-year-old mother of one was born on 20th of October in Yaya, Siaya County as a fifth child in a family of ten children.
She was born to father, Clement Adalo a medic and mother Gertrude Auma with whom she lives with as at now.
Education
She attended St. Jesus Primary School in Siaya for her early educational years and this is where her interest in sports took a firm hold.
While in school, she was a great footballer before discovering her talent in boxing.
According to Conje, her elder brother Joseph Kusimba helped her build her new area of interest step by step.
Career Journey
Her brother Joseph Kusimba was greatly instrumental in Conje’s career as a great inspiration to taking up the art professionally.
She began taking part in boxing matches 2 decades ago, in the year 2000. Two years later, she went on to launch her first professional debut on the eighth day of June, 2002 in Nairobi County and won in a four round decision knocking down her opponent at a 0-2 score.
Over her active 7-year career journey from 2002 up to 2009, Conjestina Achieng boxed in Kenya, Tanzania, Germany and Sweden facing against opponents from across the globe including Laura Ramsey from the United States of America, Janaya David from Atlanta, Georgia, Ugandan Florence Nalukwago, Zimbabwean Monalisa Sibanda, Tanzanian Monica Mwakasanga, Swedish Maria Lindberg and Yvonne Reis from Florida.
Conjestina Achieng had been preparing and anticipating a match with the worldwide boxing star Laila Ali though this was not realized in her career.
Achievements
Conjestina has bagged several accolades and in her career of 27 matches, she won 17 of them, lost in 6 and had 4 draws. This was incredible performance.
She is notably the first African woman to take the vacant Women International Boxing Federation Middleweight Title.
Conje was also ranked the fifth female boxer in the world.
Personal Life
Conjestina Achieng is a single mother to a son, Charlton Otieno who is now 24 years old.
Otieno looks to Conjestina for inspiration, having taken his baby steps in boxing under the wings of the legendary boxer.
“I started training to be a boxer when I was five years old. Mum would take me along with her to the gym where she would put me through some sparring sessions. She was a passionate boxer and relentless in training and that is something I have picked from her. Even though I was her son, there was no favouritism or soft treatment from her. She would treat me as if I was preparing for a bout the next day,” Otieno recalls.
He, for one, does not believe his mother’s illnesses are a product of the constant blows to the head, which she took during her bouts.
“My mum was a professional boxer and knew how to protect her head at all times when in the ring. I feel that her illness has more to do with stress and negligence. Regardless, her struggles have motivated me to grow up fast and pursue a better outcome in my boxing career,” Otieno says.
Conjestina got ill following several frustrations such as the inability to pay up rent and she felt that she was not getting the recognition and rewards that came with her work.
She is said to have spoken on how hard the industry was and the pressures of the same. She was hospitalized a while ago at Mathari Hospital in Nairobi dealing with mental health issues and released later on.
Where is she now?
An heartbreaking photo of Conjestina has been going round on social media, claiming that she is living in Siaya streets. Going per the photo, the once hard-hitting boxing champion is really in a bad state.
Kenyans on social media have been left angry, wondering how the government could not come through for the legend who once raise the Kenyan flag world wide.
Rescue
In 2018, the then Nairobi governor Mike Sonko airlifted her from her rural home in Siaya to Nairobi for treatment in a rehab.
Reports indicate that Conje had been abusing addictive substances for sometimes which might have deteriorated her conditions.
Her mother Gertrude Auma told the media that their neighbors were not treating them kindly because of her condition.
