Loyalty, to Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy, is not just a boy’s name in Zimbabwe. Once a player is in his good books, the 48-year old South African never turns his back on them.
“When you have the players that you know, you’ve seen what they can do and what they can offer to the national team, you don’t turn your back on those players. Loyalty goes a long way and I’m somebody who, when you do well for me, I’m always going to show you that loyalty,” the former Bafana Bafana striker said at the Nyayo National Stadium on Monday last week when Harambee Stars met for their first training session ahead of the Fifa Series 2026 matches against Estonia and Grenada.
McCarthy, fidgeting with a ball at his feet, was responding to a question on the return of 23-year-old Simba SC forward Mohammed Bajaber to the Harambee Stars squad.
In February 2025, he left relegation-threatened Nairobi City Stars for moneybags Kenya Police for a reported transfer fee of Sh1 million. In June that year, Bajaber and Kenya Police made history by winning a maiden league title.
In between, Bajaber had marked his Harambee Stars debut with a spectacular goal against The Gambia in March, driving demand for Harambee Stars jerseys with his name and number through the roof.
Then Chan 2024 came in August, with Kenya co-hosting with Tanzania and Uganda. Fans hoped the Bajaber would lead Harambee Stars to glory, but that destiny never arrived. Instead, an injury forced him out of the squad but it did not prevent him from passing his medical exam to complete a Sh12.9 million move to Tanzanian giants, Simba SC.
Harambee Stars attacking midfielder Mohammed Bajaber in training with Tanzania's Simba Sports Club on August 11th, 2025, in Egypt.
Photo credit: Pool
Yet, Bajaber is still waiting to roar for Simba. He has featured sparingly for the 22-time Tanzanian league champions, playing only 12 minutes for them this year.
Bajaber’s return to the national team, while welcomed with the delight of a prodigal son’s homecoming, had a section of Harambee Stars questioning his inclusion and that of Gor Mahia midfielder Ben Stanley Omondi, who rarely starts for his club, and the unattached William Lenkupae, who last played club football in October 2025.
While questioning McCarthy’s calling up the three, fans demanded answers for the exclusion of Murang’a Seal forward Joseph Waithira, the league’s top scorer with 15 goals, Kariobangi Sharks rising teenage forward Humphrey Akoko, with nine league goals to his name, and Moses Shumah, the former Kakamega Homeboyz striker who is the top scorer in the Zambian top-flight league with 15 strikes for Power Dynamos.
Similar concerns were raised when midfielder Richard Odada was fielded against The Gambia in September 2025 despite playing only three league matches in the six months before that fixture.
Odada, who struggled in that match, was substituted at halftime as Harambee Stars went on to lose 3-1 against the Scorpions.
After that match, McCarthy described fielding Odada as “a gamble that did not work out”. “I do not regret fielding him,” he also said.
Still, Odada ended up paying for his poor show on that afternoon at Kasarani. He missed the next five Harambee Stars matches and only made his return this month against Estonia.
Kenya coach Benni McCarthy holds a ball as he conducts a training session at Police Sacco Stadium in Nairobi on October 6, 2025.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
His return ended in embarrassment as his duffed Panenka handed the northern Europeans a 5-4 sudden death penalty shoot-out win after the teams had tied 1-1 in 90 minutes of play.
While the freezing of Odada in those five matches may appear as McCarthy cracking the whip, his continued fielding of Lenkupae remains mysterious.
In this age of high consumption of football data and statistics, it has become normal to have the output of Harambee Stars’ attacking players measured against their number of appearances to determine their efficiency.
When analysed in that regard, Lenkupae, who is usually listed as a forward in the Harambee Stars squad, his numbers make for puzzling reading. The Australia-born winger has featured in 12 matches for Harambee Stars, with his substitute appearances on his debut against The Gambia in March 2025 and the latest one against Grenada sandwiching 10 starts.
He has contributed one goal and one assist in those 12 appearances. The goal contribution came on his appearances as a substitute – the last-minute equaliser in the 3-3 draw against The Gambia and the assist for Zech Obiero’s goal against Grenada.
Lenkupae is the joint-most booked player under McCarthy’s Harambee Stars with three yellow cards, level with defender Ronney Onyango.
Lenkupae’s number of appearances for Harambee Stars under McCarthy ranks him among the highest in terms of matches played, matches started, minutes played, and squad appearances.
William Lenkupae of Kenya speaks during a post-match press conference after Kenya's 3-0 loss to Cote d'Ivoire in a Group 'F' 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier in Abidjan on October 14, 2025.
In terms of matches played, Lenkupae is joint-second on 12 with defender Sylvester Owino, and central midfielders Alpha Onyango and Manzur Okwaro. Striker Ryan Ogam, who has netted eight goals and two assists for Harambee Stars. Ogam is McCarthy’s most fielded player with 13 appearances, nine starts and four substitute appearances.
Austin Odhiambo (11), Boniface (11), Abud Omar (10), Alphonce Omija (10), and Abud Omar (10) are the only other players to play at least 10 matches under McCarthy.
Sylvester Owino has started the most matches for Harambee Stars under McCarthy, 11. He is followed by Lenkupae, 10 starts. The trio of Alpha, Ogam, and Okwaro has nine starts. Ronney has started eight matches.
Owino has also played the most minutes under McCarthy, 993. Alpha (832), Ogam (820), Lenkupae (817), and Okwaro (813), follow in that order.
Ben Stanley has been named in the most matchday squads, 16, playing in 10, five as a starter and five as a substitute. Goalkeeper Faruk Shikhalo and Alpha follow with 15 and 14 respectively. Seven players are tied on 13 with Lenkupae following with 12. Among players who have been named in the matchday squad at least 10 times, Lenkupae and Ogam are the only ones who have never been unused substitutes.
Interestingly, Shikhalo has been an unused substitute in the highest number of matches, 12, followed by Ben Stanley with six.
Lenkupae and Ogam have been the most substituted players, making way seven times. Austin and Alpha follow with six withdrawals each.
Boniface Muchiri has made the most substitute appearances at six. He is followed by Ben Stanley Omondi and Daniel Sakari with five off-the-bench starts.
Since he was appointed Harambee Stars coach on March 3 last year, McCarthy has called up 66 players.
Out of these, 62 have played at least one match or more.
The exceptions are striker Elvis Rupia, winger Brian Michira, and goalkeepers Brian Opondo and Sepstianos Wekesa, who have not registered any minutes of play.
