Sammy Mulinge, the Kenyan tactician currently at the helm of APR Volleyball Club, is among five candidates in the race to lead Rwanda's senior men’s and women’s national volleyball teams, the Rwanda Volleyball Federation (FRVB) announced on Tuesday evening.

Mulinge, a familiar figure in the local league and the man currently guiding title holders APR VC, is the only East African coach on the shortlist as Rwanda looks to appoint a successor to Brazilian coach Paul de Tarso.

The shortlisted candidates were selected from a pool of 15 applicants. Besides Mulinge, the list includes Frenchmen Peter Nonnenbroich and Frederic Guerin, Akon Jean René of Cameroon, and Ghazi Kouba from Tunisia.

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The candidates will undergo interviews scheduled for January 21, after which the successful coach will immediately begin preparations for the upcoming continental engagements.

One of the key assignments awaiting the new coach is the Men’s Senior African Volleyball Nations Championship, set to take place in the Democratic Republic of Congo from September 10 to 15.

The tournament will also serve as a qualification pathway for the 2027 FIVB World Championship and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, significantly raising the stakes of the appointment.