Ababu Namwamba says a strong domestic league is the foundation of a strong Harambee Stars team as the country prepares to host the 2027 Cup of Nations alongside Uganda and Tanzania.
By being a co-host, Kenya will get a bye in the qualifying rounds and Namwamba, the Cabinet Secretary for Sports, expects Harambee Stars to compete, not participate.
Kenya have been to seven Cup of Nations; 1972, 1988, 1990, 1992, 2004 and 2019 but have never gone past the group stages. They could not play in the qualifiers of this year's competition since the country was serving a Fifa ban.
To ensure the country leaves a mark, Namwamba emphasised the importance of a strong domestic league, citing South Africa, whose majority of players are from their local league.
“What I admire about Bafana Bafana is that this is a team made up of entirely home-based talent,” the CS noted
“This is a wake-up call to Kenya and other African nations that having a strong domestic league is the foundation of a strong national team.”
The Rainbow nation’s squad for their semifinal clash against Nigeria had 10 players from the South African Premier League with a majority of them coming from Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Kenyan Premier League (KPL) is 20th in Africa as per a report by TeamForm with the Moroccan Botola Pro 1 League the strongest.
Regionally, the Tanzanian league is 25th while the Ugandan Premier League is 27th. Congo DR-Super Ligue is the strongest in East Africa at 13th.
Namwamba also wants Kenyan clubs to source talent from the youth system as opposed to engaging foreign players and coaches.
“Why are we going to fish for third-rate players from elsewhere instead of developing our talent? We have competent players and coaches here in Kenya,” Namwamba quipped.
