Kenya National Football team

This blog post talks about Kenya National Football Team which is also referred to as Harambee Stars. It will feature the history of the team, Harambee stars Captain, the coach, the player and the current rankings.

Table of Contents

History of Kenya National Football Team

Harambee Stars is the name of the Kenyan national football team.

The team was officially established in 1960 and it represents the nation in international football.

It is a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as well as the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations.

Harambee Stars is controlled by Kenya’s football governing body, the Football Kenya Federation (FKF).

Governing Body of the Kenya National Football Team

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is the body that controls all football-related activities in Kenya.

The Federation was founded in 2011 to replace the former association, the Football Kenya Limited (FKL) after the latter was disbanded for wanting to cease being a Limited Company.

In 2012, the FKF gained recognition from CAF, CECAFA, and FIFA as Kenya’s official football association and ever since.

The organization has been responsible for the coordination of the Kenyan Premier League, the Kenyan Women’s Premier League and the FKF Division.

Kenya National football team players

Below is a list of Harambee stars Players;

Goalkeepers

Brian Bwire – Tusker FC
Adisa Omar – Bidco United Thika
Ian Otieno – Zesco United Ndola
James Saruni – Ulinzi Stars
Faruk Shikhalo – Young Africans Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania

Defenders

Nahashon Alembi – KCB
Eugene Asike– Tusker FC
Baraka Badi – KCB
Mike Kibwage – Sofapaka
Musa Mohammed – Police FC Karuturi
David Ochieng – Mathare United
Joseph Okumu – KAA Gent, Belgium
Aboud Omar – AE Larissa, Greece
Johnstone Omurwa – Wazito
Joash Onyango – Simba SC Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
Clyde Senaji – Tusker FC
Boniface Onyango – Kariobangi Sharks
James Mazembe – Kariobangi Sharks
Erick Ouma – AIK Solna, Sweden
David Owino – KCB Nairobi
Harun Mwale – Ulinzi Stars
Daniel Sakari – Kariobangi Sharks

Midfielders

Hassan Abdallah – Bandari
Eric Johanna Omondi – Jönköpings Södra IF, Sweden
Clifton Miheso – Gor Mahia Nairobi
Boniface Muchiri – Tusker FC
Kenneth Muguna – Gor Mahia
Cliff Nyakeya – Masr Football Club, Egypt
Teddy Akumu – Kaizer Chiefs Soweto, South Africa
Amos Nondi – Georgia Dila Gori
Richard Odada – Metalac Gornji Milanovac, Serbia
Duncan Otieno – Lusaka Dynamos, Zambia
Alwyn Tera – Ararat-Armenia Yerevan, Armenia
Danson Chetambe, Danson – Bandari
John Macharia – Gor Mahia
Timothy Ouma – Nairobi City Stars
Collins Sichenje – AFC Leopards
Anthony Wambani – Vasalunds IF, Sweden
Duke Abuya – Kenya Police FC
Jackson Macharia – Tusker FC
Michael Mutinda, Michael – KCB
Kevin Simiyu – Nzoia Sugar
Erick Zakayo – Tusker FC
Lawrence Juma – Former Sofapaka player

Forwards

Masoud Juma – Difaâ El Jadida, Morocco
Kevin Kimani – Wazito FC
Musa Masika – Wazito FC
Henry Meja – Tusker FC
Michael Olunga – Al-Duhail Doha, Qatar
Samuel Onyango – Gor Mahia
Elvis Rupia – Bisha FC, Saudi Arabia
Eric Kapaito – Arba Minch, Ethiopia

Kenya National Football Team Coach

Since 1960, the team’s management has recruited 35 coaches to manage Harambee Stars. Enguin Firat joined the team as their coach on 19th September 2021 after the appointment by FKF.

He was coaching the Moldova team before joining the Kenya team. He also managed teams in Turkey, Germany, South Korea, and Iran.

His debut with the team ended in Mali’s disappointing 5-0 thrashing, killing the Stars’ hopes of qualifying for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Harambee Stars Captain

Michael Olunga is the current Harambee star captain who finished as the top scorer of the 2021 AFC Champions League.

He is of height 6’4 and plays in the striker position. He has been in the gaming world since 2012 to date and it can’t be denied that he has thrived in that career since then.

Olunga currently plays for Qatar Stars League champions Al-Duhail on a three-season contract, for a reported transfer fee of €6 million.

Michael Olunga has played a total of 229 matches, scored 165 goals, and accumulated 18 assists. Michael has played the most amount of matches in the Stars League with 64 appearances in Qatar.

Michael Olunga Awards

Some of the awards that Olunga has so far won include;

Kenyan Super Cup- 2013
Kenya Premier League- 2014 & 2015
Kenyan Super Cup- 2015
J2 League- 2019
Kenya Premier Top 8 Cup- 2015
Kenya Premier League player of the year- 2015
Japanese League MVP Award- 2020
Japanese League Top Scorer- 2020
Kenyan Outstanding Sports Personality of the Year- 2021

Kenya National Football Team trophies

The team has so far won 20 trophies. Kenya’s first international honours came in 1975 when they won the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup.

Other titles include Coupe de l’Ocean Indien, the Challenge Cup and the Gossage Cup.

CECAFA (Four times) – 1975, 1981, 1982, 1983, 2002, 2013
Challenge Cup (twice) – 1967, 1971
Coupe de l’Ocean Indien (twice) – 1981
Gossage Cup (12 times)

Harambee Stars AFCON campaign

Kenya has played in six African Cup of Nations but never progressed to the competition’s knockout stage.

The team made its AFCON debut in 1972, grouped with hosts Cameroon, Mali and Togo in Group A. Harambee Stars lost 2-1 to the hosts and drew 1-1 with Mali and Togo, finishing third.

Harambee Stars failed to qualify for the 2021 edition of the continental showpiece after finishing third in their qualifying group consisting of Egypt, Comoros and Togo.

As a result, Kenya’s last appearance in the AFCON competition was in 2019.

World Cup campaign

The team has not played in any World Cup tournament but good thing is that they have featured in several qualifying campaigns.

In 1974, the country featured in its first FIFA World Cup qualifiers but lost to Zambia in the third round.

Kenya’s National Football Team World Rankings

According to the latest FIFA rankings, Kenya sits in position 102 worldwide. This comes with 1202.26 points.

Harambee Stars sits in 22nd position in Africa, behind Madagascar. Kenya’s best-ever FIFA ranking was in 2008 when they were placed 68th worldwide.

Since then, the ranking has been going down. Although some fans are losing hope of seeing their Kenyan national football team play in a World Cup, some remain optimistic that the dream will soon come true.

Conclusion

Even though the team seems to be deteriorating in terms of goals, the hopes are still high that there will be a chance for them in the next big games like the World Cup and AFCON which will be held in Mexico and Morocco respectively.

Through determination, dedication, talent and perseverance, the team aims to elevate its current FIFA ranking globally and in in Africa.