Players from champions Nairobi United miss out of Stars even after beating top teams to glory
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has unveiled his provisional squad for the upcoming CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN), a tournament exclusive to players competing in their domestic leagues.
However, despite the squad being solely drawn from the FKF Premier League, Coach McCarthy overlooked outstanding talents from the National Super League and Mozzartbet cup tournament.
Players from the NSL champions Nairobi United, who also won the Mozzartbet cup earning a place to represent Kenya at the CAF Confederation Cup were overlooked in the Harambee Stars selection despite the fact that the Naibois team overcame big teams in the Premier League on the course to winning their unprecedented Cup and second tier league double.
It is not a coincidence that Nairobi United beat Premier League teams like KCB, Tusker, Mara Sugar and Gor Mahia to be crowned Mozzartbet cup champions. For people who have been following both cup and NSL matches, it not a secret that Nairobi United has the most consistent and watertight goalkeeper playing locally currently.
However, instead of scouting for talent from both the Premier league and NSL as well as cup competition, the coach lazily focused on the Premier league leaving out deserving players from Nairobi United and other teams in the lower leagues.
For coach Benni McCarthy to overlook players from Nairobi United which produced exhilarating football all along the league and cup season duration, the coach has denied deserving players a chance to earn callups to the national team as well as gain the much needed experience to play at continental level.
In the team called up, leading the attack are the FKF Premier league’s top scorers, Moses Shuma, Emmanuel Osoro and Ryan Ogam, who netted 17, 16 and 15 times respectively this season. Sofapaka forward Edward Omondi also earned a call up following a standout campaign for his club.
Kenya last featured in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where the team exited at the group stage and this time as hosts, Kenya had a chance to exell with players from both the Premier League and the NSL as Harambee Stars remain eager to make a deeper run especially with the added motivation of playing on home soil. The team is set to join camp on July 10, 2025.
Kenya will kick off their CHAN 2024 campaign against DR Congo on August 3 at Kasarani Stadium, before taking on Angola, Morocco, and Zambia in the group stage.
CHAN will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The tournament will run from August 2 to August 30, 2025, and promises to be a thrilling celebration of local football talent across East Africa.
Goalkeepers
Faruk Shikhalo (Bandari), Sebastian Wekesa (Kariobangi Sharks), Brian Opondo (Tusker FC)
Defenders
Siraj Mohammed (Bandari FC), Manzur Suleiman (KCB), Pamba Swaleh (Bandari FC), Abud Omar (Kenya Police),Alphonce Omija (Gor Mahia), Sylvester Owino (Gor Mahia), Michael Kibwage (Tusker), Daniel Sakari (Kenya Police), Lewis Bandi (AFC Leopards), Kevin Okumu (KCB)
Midfielder
Brian Musa( Kenya Police), Kelly Madada (AFC Leopards), Keith Imbali (Shabana), Alpha Onyango (Gor Mahia), Mathias Isogoli (KCB), Staphod Odhiambo (Ulinzi Stars), Austine Odhiambo (Gor Mahia), Ben Stanley (Gor Mahia)
Forwards
Mohammed Bajaber (Kenya Police), Boniface Muchiri (Ulinzi Stars), David Sakwa (Bandari), Emmanuel Osoro (FC Talanta), Yakeen Muteheli (Ulinzi Stars), Edward Omondi (Sofapaka), Ryan Ogam (Tusker),Moses Shummah (Kakamega Homeboyz), Beja Nyamawi (Bandari)
