Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that Disheartening picture of Kenyan legendary boxer, Conjestina Achieng, has left Kenyans heartbroken as she continues to suffer from paranoid Schizophrenia. (Read More Here).
According to information, she was diagnosed with paranoid Schizophrenia in 2012 and got admitted in 2012. According to information, she burnt down her house in 2021 and has been ill since then.
It means that she’s still battling with paranoid Schizophrenia, which wasn’t properly cured. She is a legend in boxing.
BIOGRAPHY of Conjestina:
“Conjestina Achieng (born 20 October 1977 in Umiru village, Yala division, Siaya District. Conjestina is the fifth born in a family of ten. Her father Clement Adalo is a retired medical officer and her mother is Gertrude Auma. Her elder brother, Joseph Kusimba is an ex-boxer who runs a boxing club in Mathare, Nairobi. She is a Kenyan female boxer who has been nicknamed “Hands of Stone” and is ranked number five in the world. She became the first African woman to hold an international title when she beat Ugandan Fiona Tugume to take the vacant WIBF Middleweight title. She also lost out in controversial title fight circumstances to then WBC, and WBA Super middleweight Natascha Ragosina Achieng, a single mother, plays in the middleweight division.
“Being otherwise unemployed, Achieng, who normally earned about $250 a fight, relied on boxing to pay for her inexpensive one-room rented apartment in Nairobi’s impoverished Lucky Summer estate. Her greatest challenge was to finance her training and maintain a well-balanced diet. In a country where many survive on less than $1 a day, Achieng struggled to put food on the table and meet her basic needs. Government support for training facilities and equipment is limited and reliable boxing promoters are rare, so prize money is hard to come by.
“I earn a living the hard way”, she said in an interview with Women Boxing Archive Network. “I can’t afford the right foods and sometimes I don’t even have the bus fare to go for training. When I look at other boxers like Mike Tyson and Laila Ali, my soul bleeds. They are rich and the kind of life they lead is not comparable to ours. But us we lead a dog’s life. Things don’t fall on a silver plate. Every individual has to reap where he or she has sown and I am no exception.”
“In Kenya, boxing is not well paying as people may think. I don’t have a permanent salary and I’m only paid when there is a fight and if I have won. Boxing is hard and should be treated with the seriousness it deserves. One has to be committed and train hard.”
“I have a son and younger sisters who are still in school, and all of them depend on me. My aging parents can no longer afford to cater for these people and I’m left in charge,” she added.
“Achieng’s day began at 5.30 a.m. with 15 km of road work, then at 8.30 am she resumed her normal gym training till midday. “I enjoy boxing in the company of male boxers”, said Achieng. “We train and share ideas.”
“In any spare time she volunteered at a nearby school assisting children through their assignments and marking their books. The school’s owner, Jean Ikenga has always supported Achieng and sometimes paid her rent.
“When Conjestina was in school she excelled in arts and crafts, and still pursues drawing and painting. Some of her work is displayed at Upendo Nursery in Mathare North. She said that one of her aims is to nurture young and aspiring artists.”
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