▪️She has made history becoming the first ever East African female R&J to achieve International Boxing Association Star-3 status
Mombasa-based Leila Said Iddi has broken the barriers becoming the first ever East African female R&J to attain the prestigious International Boxing Association(IBA) Star-3 Certification.
Leila passed with flying colours the IBA Star-3 certification course held in October, 2025, during the Africa Zone 3 Boxing Championships in Nairobi.
“I’m so excited finally I’m a Star-3 R&J I’m proud of this great achievement,” Leila told boxersworld.co.ke and thanked Boxing Federation of Kenya (BFK) for bringing the course to their doorstep.
In addition to Leila, the two other Kenyans who attained Star-3 status in the Zone certification course are Edward Kibunja Mwaura and Stephen Ndung’u Mathu. In total, the Boxing Federation of Kenya now has five Star-3 R&Js since coming to power in 2019. The other two are Samuel Obiero and Nelson Otieno aka Kinshasa Mobimba who is the chairman of BFK’s R&J Commission.
Leila, also the first Muslim Star-3 R&J in Kenya, has risen to this level through her passion and discipline.
The Coastal beauty walks gracefully in the ring while displaying a high level of professionalism, qualities attributed to her love and dedication to boxing.
Leila is always cautious on her movements in the ring, making sure her positioning is in accordance with IBA standards, which typically require referees to be mobile, unobtrusive, and agile to observe action from various angles.
She is definitely walking on air following this historic achievement, thanks to her tremendous urge to rise higher since attaining Star-1 status in 2024 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Together with Hellen Wanjiku Wathiga, Leila further shattered the glass ceiling by qualifying for Star-2 R&J level in a BFK-organised course in Nairobi.
With Star-3 status, Leila now qualifies to officiate in the World Championships and the Olympic Games.
A native of Waa, Kwale County, in Kenya’s Coastal Region, Leila’s marriage to boxing goes back to 2013.
“It’s my four sons who made me get into boxing because they loved the sport, I owe them a lot and dedicate my latest accolade to them,” said Leila.
Her commitment to boxing is not just confined to officiating. She has teamed up with a former international boxer Black Moses Mathenge to establish Vijiweni Boxing Club in Mtongwe, Mombasa.
“I decided to start this club to tap the talent of our Coastal youth some of whom have become drug addicts due to idleness. Boxing keeps them away from drug abuse.”
The club now has over 30 junior, youth and elite boxers, and Leila is confident Vijiweni Boxing Club will produce international boxers in the near future.
Photos by Duncan Kuria
