Who fits the bill among local tacticians to be the next Harambee Stars head coach?

With the coaching vacancy at the national football team Harambee Stars up for grabs, opinion is sharply divided on who should be picked to sharpen the team ahead of the 2024 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) and the 2027 African Cup of Nations Finals.

Both events are set to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and there is a gaping hole in the Stars dugout after Engin Firat, the man who held the job resigned. Newly elected Football Kenya Federation President Hussein Mohamed made the announcement in Nairobi on Wednesday.

Firat, the man who presided over the team for 3 years, took charge of 23 matches, winning seven, drawing an equal number and losing nine, putting his winning percentage at just 39 percent.

But who are the top coaches primed for the job? Citizen Digital takes a look at their profiles.

 ‘Robert ‘The Lion’ Matano has all the ingredients to be appointed Harambee Stars head coach to replace Engin Firat who resigned on Wednesday’, his fellow coach, Gilbert Selebwa who previously handled  AFC Leopards and now head coach of Luanda Villa, Gilbert Selebwa believes.

Matano was in charge of Sofapaka when they were promoted to the Kenyan Premier League in 2009 and guided them to a league title at their first time of asking, a record in Kenyan football books.

He has also been Leopards coach though never won the league title with the big cats but managed to attain the feat with Tusker FC.

In fact, at Tusker, in a six-year spell, the fire-spitting tactician profoundly led them to lift three league titles before he threw in the towel in July this year to re-join Sofapaka.

His toughness and strictness, according to observes, is what the national football team needs.

Francis Kimanzi would naturally be in the picture of possible candidates.  He guided Harambee Stars to their best ever FIFA rankings - position 68 globally during his stint in 2008.

Currently Kenya sits at position 108 in the world after dropping two places after failing to qualifying for the AFCON 2025.

That same year- 2008- Kimanzi also led Mathare United to winning the KPL title.

He is hailed for getting tactics spot-on. Some quarters believe that he is better of as a national team head coach than a club coach.

He thrived as the Junior Stars U20 head coach guiding them to the Cecafa final in October hence earning a ticket to feature in the CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations next year despite losing the regional final to Tanzania.

He has also excelled with the U-18 national team leading them to the Cecafa final last year losing to Uganda in Kisumu.

Besides stints with the junior national sides, Babu has coached Kenya Police FC although he was shown the door due to dismal results.

At club level, his star shone brightest when he was with Nzoia Sugar – he made the team the talk of the Kenyan Premier League in the 20023/2004 walloping some top sides and fighting gracefully to earn a top four finish.

 “I think on that front of who is the best suited, let's go for Robert Matano, a coach who is experienced and has won titles in the country with many clubs.

Let’s not go for rotational behaviour when we are looking for who should take over as the next Harambee Stars head coach,” he said.