His soft demeanor contradicts his achievement on the lawn tennis trail, yet he is an umpire of international repute whose exploits have largely gone unheralded.

Whether this is by design or otherwise is difficult to discern, however until 2009, Patrick Kamuhia was the only Level 3 umpire in the whole of East, Central and West Africa region.

The number nonetheless increased to two following the arrival to the fold of a Nigerian. The nearest Kenyans to Kamuhia are only three umpires who have attained Level 2 certification.

"It is a lonely venture being the only umpire of my standing locally, and I encourage as many umpires in the lower grades as possible to register for umpiring courses because the dividend is colossal," Kamuhia told Xinhua during the recently concluded International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Championships in Nairobi.

Those who have passed Level 3 School are awarded certificates and start as a Bronze Badge and can be promoted to Silver and then to Gold following a review of their work rate and performance in an annual review of their work rate and performance conducted by the ITF, Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and World Tennis Association (WTA).

Level 3 Schools are for those umpires who have considerable experience of officiating in professional tennis.

The schools focus on advanced techniques and procedures, and prepare the students for the pressures of international officiating.

Those who pass the combination of written and oral examinations become international officials, certified by the ITF, ATP and WTA. One must hold at least a White Badge Official Certification in order to apply for a Level 3 School.

Kamuhia has umpired several international tennis matches, including at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India.

His earlier assignments amongst those he can recall include Wimbledon (2007), French Open (2008) and the 2007 All Africa Games where he umpired in the men's final.

Some of the top players he has umpired their matches include former number one Roger Federer, reigning Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and women's world number one Serena Williams.

Kamuhia, who also owns a sports promotional company called Sports Concepts undertook his Level 1 course in 1996 locally, Level 2 in 2000 in South Africa and Level 3 in Qatar.

"Most Kenyans shy away from these courses out of the belief that they are expensive. However, when one considers the benefits, they are worthy," said the widely travelled man.

The graduate of Nairobi-based Kenyatta University is also an environment impact assessment expert and a member of the Tennis Kenya national junior development. Endi

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