Harambee Stars skipper Michael Olunga believes he can carry his exceptional club form to the national team and steer Kenya to a fruitful 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Olunga, who features for Al Duhail SC in the Qatar Stars League, spoke after reports emerged that he wrapped up the concluded season as the fifth-highest-scoring African striker in foreign leagues.
The towering forward managed 28 goals and three assists from 32 matches in all competitions despite being out of action for six weeks after collecting a knee injury.
Olunga finished a spot above Al Nassr forward Sadio Mane of Senegal, who secured 25 goals and 15 assists in 54 matches.
VfB Stuttgart Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy topped the winners' podium with 31 goals and two assists in 38 matches.
In comparison, Liverpool and Egypt talisman Mohamed Salah emerged second with 30 goals and 17 assists in 50 games.
Gabonese Pierre Aubameyang who plies trade for Ligue 1 club Marseille came third on 30 goals and 11 assists across 52 matches.
Morocco and Al-Ittihad striker Abderazak Hamdallah came fourth after blasting the back of the net 29 times and sealing four assists in 38 games.
Olunga believes he can replicate his outstanding goalscoring form at the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. "We need goals to beat our opponents and that's one of my key responsibilities as a striker. I'm ready to deliver," Olunga remarked.
"I already have goals in the qualifiers and I will use the experience to hunt for more in our upcoming fixtures," he added.
He, however, faulted the move to stage Harambee Stars home matches abroad. Kenya will host Burundi and Ivory Coast at the Bingu Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi, owing to a dearth of FIFA-approved playing surfaces in the country.
Quality facilities like Nyayo and Moi, Kasarani have been closed for renovation that is expected to last for close to three years.
"This will deny us the much-needed home advantage and deny our fans a chance to follow our performance in the qualifiers," Olunga stated.
“Fans usually play a key role in a team's performance. For example, Gabon successfully rallied from a goal down to beat us 2-1 on the strength of their fans when we played them in their backyard," he added.
He, however, believes the country can leverage its experience at Bingu stadium to upset the opponents.
“It won't be our first time in Malawi because we have previously played on the same pitch, and we have already gauged the weather conditions," said.
Last March, Harambee Stars set their season in motion with a convincing outing at the Four Nations Cup in Malawi where they thrashed the hosts 4-0 before humiliating Zimbabwe 3-1 in the finals to bag the title.
