Kenya’s road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is unfolding against an uncomfortable contradiction. While the country prepares to welcome Africa’s leading national teams, Harambee Stars have begun their qualifying campaign with disappointing results and a series of administrative and welfare problems that have disrupted preparations.

Kenya will co-host the tournament with Uganda and Tanzania from June 19 to July 17, 2027. As a host nation, Kenya is guaranteed a place in the finals, meaning the qualifiers are an opportunity to build competitive sharpness rather than fight for a place at the tournament.

That makes the team’s early struggles particularly concerning. The central question is no longer simply whether Kenya will qualify, but whether the Harambee Stars will be ready to compete when the continent’s biggest football tournament arrives on home soil.

A disappointing start to the AFCON qualifiers

Kenya’s opening two matches in the 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign exposed the distance between the country’s hosting ambitions and its performances on the pitch.

At Nyayo National Stadium on September 26, 2026, Harambee Stars were held to a 1-1 draw by Eritrea after conceding in the 37th minute. Ryan Ogam rescued a point with an 87th-minute equaliser, sparing the hosts a home defeat.

The result was followed by another setback in Conakry on October 1, 2026, when Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy scored in the 32nd minute to give Guinea a 1-0 victory over Kenya. After two matches, the Stars had collected just one point.

The results came after other difficult outings. Kenya lost 4-1 to Lesotho in a friendly in June 2026, having drawn the first meeting 1-1. In November 2025, Senegal handed the team an 8-0 defeat in a friendly in Turkey.

These results do not, on their own, prove that Kenya cannot perform at AFCON. Friendly matches and competitive fixtures have different contexts, and a team’s form can change significantly over several months. But they underline the need for a clearer technical plan, consistent preparation and stronger performances against international opposition.

The Eritrea draw was especially frustrating because Kenya were playing at home, with thousands of supporters expecting a convincing display. The team created opportunities but struggled to finish them, while a defensive error contributed to the visitors’ opening goal.

For coach Benni McCarthy, the challenge is to turn possession and attacking intent into goals while improving defensive concentration. The remaining preparation period offers an opportunity to address those weaknesses, but only if the team receives the time and resources required to work on them.

The players’ strike that disrupted preparations

The events before the Eritrea match exposed a problem more serious than a poor result: uncertainty over whether players would receive money owed to them for representing the country.

Harambee Stars players declined to train after reporting to camp in September, demanding outstanding allowances and improved welfare arrangements. FKF’s head of projects and national teams, Athanus Obango, said the dispute included payments of approximately Ksh80,000 per player relating to the earlier Senegal and Lesotho matches. The federation maintained that responsibility for paying the allowances lay with the government.

The dispute disrupted a crucial period for McCarthy, who needed to prepare the team for the opening qualifier. The players returned to collective training on the Friday before Saturday’s Eritrea fixture, leaving little time for the technical bench to work with the full squad.

McCarthy acknowledged the impact of the interruption, saying after the match: “I have to give the players massive credit. They did not have proper training and fitness that we needed, but they looked sharp. I don’t have a single complaint.”

His remarks highlighted the difficulty of expecting international-level performances when preparation time is lost to disputes that should be resolved before players assemble.

The players’ concerns also went beyond the immediate fixture. Reports indicated that some believed they had waited through several matches and camps without receiving their dues. The disagreement over the amount paid and the outstanding balance needed to be resolved between the relevant authorities and the players.

The incident raises a fundamental question about player welfare. National-team duty requires footballers to leave their clubs, travel, train and compete under the country’s flag. Reliable payment arrangements, suitable accommodation, transport and medical support should be part of the preparation process, not issues that threaten to derail it.

The government and FKF subsequently worked to address the dispute, but the episode demonstrated how administrative failures can undermine the work of a coaching staff.

McCarthy’s work permit

The position of the head coach has also raised questions about the organisation of Kenya’s preparations.

In September 2026, McCarthy publicly disclosed that he and members of his foreign technical team had been working without the required Kenyan work permits. He said the situation meant he had to leave the country after national-team assignments rather than remain in Kenya between camps.

That limitation matters because national-team coaching is not confined to match days. It involves watching domestic league fixtures, identifying emerging players, assessing form, communicating with club coaches and developing a tactical system that can be implemented over successive international windows.

If a coach cannot remain in the country consistently, monitoring local talent becomes more difficult, particularly when the domestic competition is the principal pool from which locally based players are selected.

FKF acknowledged the work-permit issue and said it was pursuing the necessary documentation with government agencies. The federation also argued that the technical team’s duties extended beyond national-team camps and included monitoring domestic football.

The public reporting reviewed for this article does not establish whether the permits have since been issued. That status needs confirmation from FKF and the relevant government department before the matter can be considered resolved.

The wider concern is institutional. A national team preparing for a major home tournament should have its head coach’s employment and immigration arrangements settled, allowing him to focus on football rather than repeatedly confronting administrative obstacles.

A domestic league delayed by legal disputes

A national team is only as strong as the football environment that develops its players. Kenya’s domestic league is therefore a central part of the AFCON preparation programme.

The 2026/27 FKF Premier League was scheduled to begin in August 2026, but disputes over club participation, promotion and relegation, and the applicable FKF rules disrupted the timetable. Although the federation announced September 19, 2026, as the revised start date following court proceedings, further orders forced it to postpone the opening round.

The uncertainty created difficulties for clubs planning training schedules, player registration and competitive fixtures. It also complicated the wider task of establishing a predictable calendar in the months leading up to AFCON.

A stable domestic season is essential for McCarthy. Regular, competitive matches allow him and his technical staff to evaluate players against a common standard, assess fitness and identify combinations that can work at international level.

When fixtures are delayed, or the league calendar becomes uncertain, clubs can struggle to plan their programmes, while national-team selection becomes harder to base on a consistent run of competitive performances.

The dispute also illustrates how football governance problems can have consequences beyond the boardroom. Court cases over league rules may be legitimate matters for judicial determination, but the resulting uncertainty can affect players, clubs, supporters and the national team’s preparation.

For Kenya to make the most of its home AFCON, the domestic calendar must be reliable enough to support both club football and national-team objectives.

Stadium investment versus investment in the team

The contrast between Kenya’s infrastructure programme and the problems surrounding Harambee Stars is central to the AFCON debate.

In March 2026, a report presented to Parliament indicated a Ksh14.47 billion funding shortfall in the State Department for Sports, with Ksh11.37 billion of that gap linked to AFCON-related projects. The figures highlighted the financial pressure facing the country’s preparations.

There has been progress on the infrastructure side. In early October 2026, officials told a parliamentary committee that the 60,000-capacity Talanta Stadium was approximately 94 per cent complete, with outdoor training facilities reported to be 92 per cent complete. Officials said the project was targeting a December 31, 2026 deadline.

However, other facilities have faced funding challenges. On October 6, 2026, a Senate committee reported a KSh984 million funding gap at Nyayo National Stadium. The contractor had suspended work while awaiting further payments, with outstanding tasks including floodlight connections, electronic screens, ticketing systems and accessibility improvements.

These developments show why infrastructure spending must be assessed project by project. Some facilities are progressing, while others face funding and delivery risks.

But completing a stadium is only one part of hosting a successful tournament. The country must also ensure that the team expected to represent it has access to appropriate training facilities, competitive fixtures, medical support and a well-resourced technical staff.

The Ministry of Sports has already recognised this distinction. In July 2026, Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi called on FKF to accelerate preparations for Harambee Stars, warning against a situation in which Kenya hosted major matches but disappointed its supporters on the pitch.

The challenge now is to translate that stated priority into a measurable programme for the national team.

What should Kenya do before June 2027?

The remaining months offer an opportunity to address the weaknesses exposed by the opening qualifiers. Five priorities stand out.

First, settle player payments before international camps. The authorities responsible for allowances should establish a transparent payment schedule, with funds processed early enough to prevent disputes from interrupting training.

Second, resolve the technical team’s administrative issues. FKF should confirm the status of McCarthy’s work permit and those of his staff, ensuring they can carry out their duties between international fixtures.

Third, protect the domestic league calendar. FKF and the relevant stakeholders should provide clubs with a predictable schedule, resolve outstanding regulatory disputes through the appropriate processes and minimise avoidable interruptions.

Fourth, publish a structured national-team preparation plan. This should include confirmed international friendlies, training camps, player-monitoring arrangements, fitness targets and tactical objectives. Opponents should be selected to test Kenya against the types of teams and playing styles it could encounter at AFCON.

Fifth, make performance support measurable. The federation and government should clarify the budget and personnel allocated to sports science, medical care, recovery, nutrition, video analysis and access to suitable training grounds.

These measures would give supporters a clearer basis for assessing progress beyond stadium completion percentages and official assurances.