Harambee Stars, a sleeping giant that we aim to revive – Benni McCarthy

By Velile Mnyandu
4th March 2025

Newly appointed Kenyan national team head coach Benni McCarthy has described the Harambee Stars as a sleeping giant who can reclaim their place in African football if their plan to resuscitate them comes together.

McCarthy was unveiled yesterday in Nairobi as Harambee Stars head coach on a two-year contract, leading to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament that Kenya will host jointly with Tanzania and Uganda.

The Harambee Stars last played in the AFCON in Egypt in 2019, but McCarthy sees them as a team with huge potential.

"It's a sleeping giant in my eyes. I looked at the project and it is a country that has a lot of potential, they have some really talented young players that play abroad in Europe all over,” McCarthy said.

“So, if you're with the right mindset, the right mentality you can do something special with the team but also when I spoke to the federation deputy president spoke with my agent and told him that they are very interested and it's always nice to know that you in your life every day, you go out to convince people who you're a good coach, why you're the right man for the job."

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This is McCarthy's first national team coaching job, after he has coached Cape Town City and AmaZulu in the South African Premier Soccer League.

He was most recently a Strikers coach at Manchester United in the English Premier League.

Kenya have not qualified for this year’s AFCON in Morocco but are part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, playing in Group F.

They are currently fourth in the group with only five points and play Gabon and Gambia this month. McCarthy outlines his short-term vision for the team.

"It's hard when you come into a team where the competition has been fierce and you didn't qualify for AFCON, you know. So, I think in the back of the players' mind, it's a big missed opportunity that they didn't qualify for the AFCON,” the coach added.

“But I think these games are coming at a time where you can make the mindset shift because qualifying for the World Cup is the biggest thing in football. So, for me I’m ambitious, I think we want to work towards a strong Kenya team that will have a good start against The Gambia and a good start against Gabon to give us a fighting chance.

“A slim chance of maybe becoming one or two teams that you can have qualification to the World Cup because imagine how special that will be."