World ParaVolley said Kimponge died at Kenyatta National Referral Hospital on September 13 following a short illness, with details having only recently been published.

She had lived with a heart condition for a long time and had undergone several surgeries.

Kimonge had completed a level one classification course in Rwanda in 2009, before completing the level two and three courses the following year.

She served as a classifier for local sitting volleyball clubs in Kenya, as well as a series of international events.

Her last international event as a classifier was the Tokyo 2020 women’s final qualification tournament in Canada.

"I had the honour of first meeting Pheona at the 2012 Intercontinental in Egypt and then several times at other competitions in her classifier role," said Barry Couzner, World ParaVolley President.

"She was a wonderful person and very professional and I know that she will be greatly missed by the ParaVolley family."

World ParaVolley medical director Louise Ashcroft also paid tribute to Kimonge, saying that she will be missed by the sport and fellow classifiers.

"I was very saddened by the news of Pheona’s passing," Ashcroft said.

"I first met Pheona in Oklahoma at the 2010 World Championships when she was completing her international classification training.

"She was a lovely woman, and kind and generous with her time.

"I was fortunate to spend time with her in Halifax this year.

"She will be missed by the World ParaVolley family, and especially by the International Classifiers who were fortunate enough to have worked alongside her."

Kimonge also worked at the Kenyatta National Hospital's physiotherapy department and sang with St. Luke’s Choir.

Her work colleagues and the choir created a video in tribute.