Benni McCarthy at Harambee Stars: Is the Project Working and What Does AFCON 2027 Require?

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Benni McCarthy arrived at Harambee Stars with a reputation that made Kenyan football fans genuinely excited for the first time in years. A former African Player of the Year. A man who worked alongside Erik ten Hag at Manchester United and was credited with the development of Rasmus Hojlund and the restoration of Marcus Rashford's confidence. When he took the Kenya job, the expectation was that his experience at the highest level of European club football would translate into a measurable step change in Harambee Stars performance.

Twelve months in, the picture is more nuanced than the early enthusiasm suggested. Kenya's FIFA ranking has moved from 113th to 111th, which is progress but not transformation. The four-match winless run in late 2025 was a difficult period that raised genuine questions about whether the improved training standards were translating to results on the pitch. The June window against Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is partly about answering those questions in a lower-pressure environment before the South Africa qualifier in November which is where everything gets real.

What McCarthy Has Actually Changed

The most visible change under McCarthy is the breadth of the squad. Five new debutants for the June window is a significant number. It tells you that McCarthy is genuinely scouting across the Kenyan diaspora in England and Europe rather than recycling the same thirty names. Ryan Ogam and William Lenkupae returning to the squad alongside newcomers shows he is both building for the future and rewarding form rather than reputation. This wider talent identification process is one of the most important foundations a national team can build. Kenya have historically relied on a narrow pool. McCarthy is changing that.

The Goal Scoring Problem That Needs Solving

McCarthy has not yet found a consistent goalscorer. This is the central weakness of the Harambee Stars project right now. South Africa have Appollis. Ghana had Semenyo at the World Cup. Nigeria have Osimhen. Kenya's equivalent has not yet consistently shown up at international level. Until there is a reliable forward who scores in important qualifier games, Kenya will continue to be a team that plays well enough to draw games they could win. The June friendlies are where this problem either starts to get solved or where it confirms that McCarthy has more work to do in the forward positions than anywhere else in the squad.

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