There is something beautiful happening in the Kenyan football sphere. Football in our country is changing but the change is outside the pitch. The past fortnight has witnessed full stadiums in games featuring the Harambee Stars as well as in the Kenya Premier League (KPL). On Sunday, Kenya’s biggest local derby, the Mashemeji derby, took place at a packed Nyayo stadium. This was only a week after fans filled the ground to watch Kenya lose 2-1 to Gabon in a world Cup qualifier. Meanwhile in Gusii Stadium, fans thronged the stadium to witness Shabana FC thrash Muranga Seal 3-0 in a KPL match. Sports journalist Kevin Teya (https://x.com/TeyaKevin) reported that the Mashemeji derby generated 7.3 million from ticket sales while Shabana managed 1.8 million as the home team. Eye catching figures that make you take notice. Kenyan football fans have long been criticised as too frugal when it came to investing in their own teams. This as the figures show is no longer the case considering fan m...

Benni McCarthy suffered his first loss as Harambee Stars coach after a 2-1 defeat at home against Gabon. The Panthers have their talismanic striker to thank for the three points as they temporarily moved top of group F in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Kenya sits fourth in the group, nine points behind Gabon.  The game started off at a rapid pace, with both teams launching attacks within the first minute of the game. Anthony Akumu had a shot from midfield parried away by Mbaba in goal while on the other side Kenya needed a goal-line clearance to deny Aubameyang. Kenya looked nervous at the back and Gabon were always looking for the ball in behind the Kenyan defence with focus on hitting balls for Bouanga to run onto and cross for Aubameyang.  The breakthrough did come in the 15th minute when Kanga found Aubameyang with a nicely floated ball which the striker took down beautifully and slotted past Ian Otieno. It was attack after attack for both teams and Michael Olunga thought ...

We’ve been here before as Kenyan football fans. A new regime at the helm of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) usually means a new head coach for the national team. The man chosen to lead Kenya for the next two and a half years is Benni McCarthy. A flashy appointment from Hussein Mohammed and co. McCarthy makes his debut tonight against the Gambia in a World Cup qualifier but all eyes will be on his home debut at Nyayo National stadium against Gabon on Sunday. Kenyan football fans haven’t watched a national team home match since a shock 1-0 loss to South Sudan in a friendly match at Moi International stadium, Kasarani. The coach needs to make a good first impression. The appointment is a crucial one for Kenyan football. One could even argue the next two years have the potential to bring the greatest footballing moments in our history. East Africa finally got hosting rights for the holy grail of African football, the Africa Cup of Nations in 2027. The allure of leading the home natio...