Football Kenya Federation chief executive officer Barry Otieno has confirmed Turk Engin Firat will continue his role as Harambee Stars' head coach.
In an exclusive interview on Thursday, Otieno said the FKF National Executive Committee met and decided to extend the tactician's contract.
"Firat remains the coach of Harambee Stars. Our National Executive Committee agreed to the extension," Otieno said.
Asked if Firat will be retaining his coaching staff, Otieno said the gaffer is free to choose assistants who suit his style best.
“It has always been our practice to allow the head coach to pick the rest of his team and I believe Firat will unveil his assistants in due course,” Otieno said.
Firat, 52, took over from Kenyan tactician Francis Kimanzi, who resigned from the position in October 2020. Otieno also said the federation does not recognizse Alex Alumirah as Harambee Starlets' head coach.
“Our position on this matter is very clear. Alumirah was never appointed by the federation. We have never seen his contract," Otieno said.
“We do not have any contractual obligation with him and, therefore, we don't consider him the Harambee Starlets head coach.”
“We wish to state clearly that we have nothing personal against him. He is a good coach and we will not mind working with him in the future," Otieno said.
Alumirah, who led Vihiga Queens to three consecutive Kenyan Women's Premier League titles, was appointed to the role by the government-appointed FKF Transition Committee. Tusker FC assistant coach Charles Okere had held the position for a year before Alumira's appointment.
Otieno said plans are already well underway to revive the national teams after a long lull caused by the Fifa ban that shut Kenya out of the international stage.
"We plan to start preparations from February next year with our eyes focused on the bigger picture which is to participate in the 2027 African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup."
At the same time, Otieno has thanked the government for launching a strong campaign to mobilise Harambee Stars toward the 2030 World Cup.
Otieno said FKF intends to align and harmonise its youth development programs to the government's vision.
"We want to make sure that we all work together as a country to ensure that we achieve our goal of taking Kenya to the 2030 World Cup," he said.
"We thank the government for promising to set aside resources to make Kenya a football powerhouse."
