The Lakeside Women Effect

Life has a way of throwing us into the deep end when we least expect it. One moment, you're cruising through life with your biggest cheerleader always just a phone call away. The next, you're answering a late-night call that shatters your world into a million pieces. That was me. I lost someone who wasn’t just family— he was my rock, my safe space, my first call in good times and bad. He wasn’t sick. He wasn’t supposed to go. But just like that, he was gone. Grief wrapped around me like a suffocating blanket. Days blurred into nights, and before I knew it, months had passed, but the pain only grew heavier.

My world shrank. My patience disappeared. My children, who should have been my greatest comfort, felt like too much to handle. I had studied psychology and sociology, so I knew what was happening to me. I saw the signs of depression checking in and consuming me by the day. But knowing and doing something about it are two different things. Now, let me tell you something: I come from a hardcore basketball family.

My late father, Arch. Elijah Niga Aduke, introduced the sport to our entire extended family. My first cousin, Mr. Ronnie Owino, a FIBA Instructor, Chairman of NBA Kenya, and Head Coach of Strathmore University’s Swords Basketball team and a player per excellence. Moses Wanjara also family, is an Assistant Secretary General of the Kenya Basketball Federation and plays for Umoja Basketball Club. Basketball isn’t just a game in my family—it’s a legacy. In that moment, something in me clicked. I overheard a group of retired basketballers discussing the lack of female teams from Kisumu County participating in the Kenya National Basketball League.

Akumu Aduke - Founder & Team Manager

It was like a switch flipped in my brain. The fog lifted a little and just like that Lakeside Women Basketball Club was born. Being part of this team didn’t just give me something to do; it saved my life. It pulled me out of the darkness, gave me purpose, and reminded me of the power of a community, discipline, and resilience. It wasn’t just about basketball; it was about mental health, empowerment, physical health, self-awareness, self-discipline and giving young women a shot at something bigger than themselves. And so, I made a decision: If basketball could change my life, then I would use it to change the lives of as many women as possible.