Football Kenya Federation CEO Barry Otieno expects Harambee Stars’ home matches in the next round of 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers to be staged in Nairobi.
Stars played the first and second round (four matches) away in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire and Lilongwe, Malawi, due to lack of CAF certified facilities in the country.
In the recent round, they played Burundi and Cote d’Ivoire in Lilongwe — 1-1 and 0-0 respectively.
Pundits, fans, legends, journalists and other stakeholders criticised the move to stage home matches elsewhere but Otieno insists their hands were tied.
“Kenya will host the 2024 CHAN tournament in September and the 2027 African Cup of Nations alongside Uganda and Tanzania under the “Pamoja Bid” after collectively winning the bid. By now we all know that both Nyayo Stadium and Moi Stadium, Kasarani, have been closed for renovations,” Otieno said.
Even though Nyayo hosted the Kip Keino Classic on April 20 and the Mashemeji derby a day later, Otieno says they could not afford such a privilege since international matches demand for facility inspection by CAF assessors which could not happen at the time.
“Nyayo and Kasarani are managed by the government under the Sports Kenya. FKF have no mandate on this. Our work is to roll out all the international fixtures to the government through the Ministry of Sports and give the budget for preparations,” said Otieno.
A request to use Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Tanzania turned a cropper since the Taifa Stars had fixtures while the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Uganda was subject to a late approval.
Otieno laments that it is not Harambee Stars alone who are suffering. Premier League teams have struggled to secure venues, resorting to staging doubleheaders at the recently refurbished Dandora Stadium.
Both league and Cup matches. He called on stakeholders to embrace positivity and have their facts right when apportioning blame.
Stars head coach Engin Firat said picking Bingu National Stadium was a no-brainer. It’s where Kenya clinched the invitational Four Nations title after beating hosts Malawi 4-0 and Zimbabwe 3-1.
“Playing home matches away from home is a big disadvantage but I felt Malawi was a good option since we had played there before. The people are hospitable, the training facilities are up to standard and FKF president (Nick Mwendwa) had urged his Malawian counterpart to mobilise local fans to support Stars,” said Firat.
Former Harambee Stars captain Musa ‘Otero’ Otieno urged the government to ensure the facilities are done and dusted in time for the upcoming two tournaments.
“I played for the national team for over 12 years and I have never played a home qualifier away from home. It is a shame. The government has to fix this since not all fans can afford air tickets to foreign lands and if the government chips in, they can only sponsor a few."
"This leaves the players with no support from the patriotic fans, who have played a big role in the team’s success over the years,” said Musa.
