CS Mvurya: Harambee Stars must match Kenya’s AFCON hosting ambitions

Mvurya stated that the government is mobilising resources to assemble a competitive Harambee Stars squad capable of going all the way to claim a historic first-ever continental title

Since their AFCON debut in 1972, Harambee Stars have failed to advance beyond the group stage in all six of their appearances (1972, 1988, 1990, 1992, 2004, and 2019), but Mvurya is tipping the side to get over the line on home soil.

“Away from the infrastructure preparation, we also have a separate plan to prepare the team and we will have a road map to prepare the team as we rally all Kenyans to support our team.”

The Cabinet Secretary revealed that the football technical team has been tasked with creating a detailed strategy to give the national team a realistic shot at lifting the trophy for the first time.

“We have asked the football technical team to come up with a roadmap on how Kenya can lift the trophy,” Mvurya said.

This comes as the construction at the Talanta Sports Complex—housing the Raila Odinga International Stadium—has reached 93% completion.

Mvurya emphasised that the flagship facility, alongside three designated training grounds, is being tailored to meet strict Confederation of African Football (CAF) standards.

“As part of our preparation for the continental showpiece, we want to make sure that Raila International Stadium, which is under construction with the majority of the work already completed, meets the standards outlined by CAF.”

As co-hosts, Kenya enjoys automatic qualification for the tournament, though the Harambee Stars will still compete in the qualifiers alongside South Africa, Guinea, and Eritrea.