President William Ruto joins Harambee Stars in celebrating their victory against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Chan 2024 tournament at Kasarani Stadium.
There will be plenty to say about the ongoing African Nations Championship once the tournament enters the more exciting knock-out stages, but regardless of which team eventually lifts the trophy, one thing is for sure – this will be a triumph of money, especially for Harambee Stars.
Of the three host nations, Kenya has offered its players the highest incentive for a good showing at Chan. President William Ruto has promised to reward the squad with a total of Sh600 million should they win the tournament, while in Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni's government has promised the Cranes Sh301m. Taifa Stars of Tanzania have been promised Sh51 million.
Sports PS Elijah Mwangi on Tuesday clarified that the money for rewarding local athletes will be sourced from the reward scheme of the Sports Ministry (Sh70 million a year) and President Ruto will top up the additional Sh530m.
Harambee Stars players applaud their fans following a 1-0 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in a Group 'A' in the 2024 African Nations Championship at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi on August 3, 2025.
“Paying Harambee Stars isn’t new. We pay those who break records. We have a Sh70m budget to pay winners,” he said at a radio interview yesterday.
Athletes who win gold, silver and bronze receive Sh3m, Sh2.75m and Sh2.5m respectively from the government and those who break world records are eligible to a Sh5m payout from the state.
This award structure was designed a decade ago with individual athletes in mind, and has never applied to athletes participating in team sports like football. Until now.
As millions are pledged for Harambee Stars, one of the ironies is that Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi recently announced that the government can no longer afford to fund the free primary and secondary education. Also, the Social Health Insurance Fund is ailing from a myriad of issues, among them a lack of sufficient funds.
“There is a complex mix of emotions at work here. Those players’ children cannot study for free as they should, but they stand to win upwards of Sh10m for the three weeks. The players probably don’t even have their SHA memberships updated, but all this money has now been made available to them. Where are our priorities as a country?” Millicent Apundi posted on X on Monday.
President William Ruto (second left) shares a light moment with Harambee Stars captain Aboud Omar (right) during inspection tour of the revamped Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi ahead of the 2024 African Nations Championship.
The other sticky issue is that the national women’s team, Harambee Starlets, are yet to be paid their allowances for the friendly match against Cote d’Ivoire in April this year, despite numerous assurances.
Next is the fact that some Kenyan internationals, like fencer Alexandra Ndolo, have had to pull out of key tournaments due to lack of funding. At the moment, Malkia Strikers are preparing for the FIVB Women’s World Championship, but have largely been ignored by the government.
To be sure, Kenya’s Harambee Stars aren’t favoured to win the Chan tournament. The odds are stacked high against them as Kenya has never won a tournament like this ever before or even gotten past the group stages.
But when you consider the huge cash award promised to the team, you can see why this is, by any measure, a team capable of challenging for honours.
Harambee Stars player Austine Odhiamdo celebrates his goal against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Group 'A' match of 2024 African Nations Championship at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on August 3, 2025.
“This time around, the national team isn’t just chasing continental glory; there’s a substantial financial reward waiting for them, too. For the first time in history, players are set to get properly compensated for their on-pitch efforts,” says Football Kenya Federation CEO Harold Ndege.
As it stands, Harambee Stars are just one game away from winning their next Sh1m, after receiving a similar amount on Monday for beating DR Congo 1-0 in their Chan opener last Sunday.
Coach Benni McCarthy described the President’s present as a life-changing moment for the homeboys.
“When you win football matches you get greatly rewarded so it was a great initiative from President Ruto to come in a motivate the boys and give them such huge incentive because when you look at it, it can be life-changing for many of these players because they are local based and do not have the biggest of salaries that you see there,” said McCarthy.
“So, when you come into the Chan tournament to motivate you and to get you even an extra energy boost and when you have a bonus like that to think about, is great, but for me it is all about football. It is a game that if you have talent and work hard, if you do the business on the field, off the field will take care of itself.”
Ruto has promised each member of the squad Sh1m for each match they win and Sh500,000 for each draw they secure. That sets the squad to earn Sh280m in win bonuses if they complete Chan 2024 with a 100 per cent record.
President William Ruto (left) and Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya (right) interact with Harambee Stars players at the team's training camp at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi July 16, 2025.
Being a tournament reserved for players plying their trade within their country’s borders, Chan attracts players from the semi-professional Kenyan league, where they are either poorly paid, don’t receive their earnings on time or both. It is not uncommon to hear of players boycotting training and even matches due to delayed or unpaid salaries.
On average, players in the FKF Premier League earn Sh80,000, although some foreign players and a handful of local players earn up to Sh200,000. The highest-paid player in the league at the moment is from FKFPL Champions Kenya Police, and earns Sh220,000.
Another question that refuses to go away is the Sh50 million cash reward that President Ruto promised the same Harambee Stars team if they qualified for the 2025 Afcon tournament, which has not been honoured to date.
