Kenya’s national football team, Harambee Stars, has officially withdrawn from Cecafa Four Nations tournament just hours before the competition was scheduled to kick off at Karatu Stadium in Arusha.
Kenya becomes the third nation to withdraw from the tournament in the build-up to the 2024 African Nations Championship (Chan), following earlier withdrawals by Sudan and Congo Brazzaville.
In an official statement released on Monday, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) confirmed that the decision was made based on recommendations from the team’s technical bench, led by head coach Benni McCarthy.
“This decision was reached following recommendations and advice from the team’s technical bench, led by head coach Benni McCarthy, after a thorough assessment of the prevailing conditions in Karatu, which were deemed unsuitable for the team’s participation and overall preparations,” FKF said in the statement.
Harambee Stars had already arrived in Arusha on Saturday and were set to open their campaign against hosts Tanzania on Moday afternoon from 3pm at Karatu Stadium.
However, after a full assessment of the venue and conditions in Karatu, the team opted to return to Nairobi on Sunday night in the same fleet of luxury vans that had transported them to northern Tanzania.
FKF reiterated that preparations for 2024 Chan would continue on home soil, with renewed emphasis on ensuring the team trains in a suitable and high-performance environment.
“We remain fully committed to providing the national team with the best possible conditions for preparation and to ensuring they represent Kenya with pride in the upcoming continental tournament,” FKF added.
Kenya now becomes the third country to withdraw from this year’s Cecafa Four Nations Tournament, which was meant to serve as a key warm-up event for 2024 Chan, set to be co-hosted by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania from August 2 to 30.
Sudan was the first to pull out of the tournament, citing its focus on the newly launched domestic league.
However, Congo also withdrew a week later due to logistical and transportation challenges, and Senegal stepped in as their replacement.
Due to the multiple changes, the tournament structure had to be revised from a knockout format to a round-robin system.
The remaining participating teams—Tanzania, Uganda, and Senegal—will now play each other once, with the team collecting the highest points crowned the winner.
This year's edition of the tournament holds historical significance, as it is exclusively featuring squads composed of locally based players, directly aligning with Chan eligibility rules.
Auka John Gacheo, Executive Director of Cecafa, affirmed that despite the setbacks, the tournament remains an important part of Chan preparations.
“The primary objective of this competition is to offer our zonal teams a valuable platform to prepare adequately ahead of the African Nations Championship scheduled for August 2025,” Gacheo told Cecafa Media.
"We are not sure why the matches had to be staged far away, that's in Karatu Stadium, located 150 kilometers from the city, when we have the Sheikh Amri Abeid stadium here," said Ally Yarro, head coach of Sinon team.
Karatu Stadium aslo suffered a setback with regard to the accommodation of teams. The guest houses are below standard, with most of the hotels located inside protected areas such as the Ngorongoro Conservation, and Lake Manyara National Park.
