President William Ruto has challenged the Football Kenya Federation leadership to raise the game in the country to international standards.
Speaking at State House, Nairobi on Tuesday when he handed Kenya Under-20 the national flag ahead of their trip to Egypt for the 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations finals, Ruto called on the federation to end managerial issues that have long plagued the game.
“You have the heavy responsibility to lift football in our country to the level of athletics. We want to see Kenya’s Harambee Stars rise to international status. The fact that many Kenyans have played in top leagues in the world demonstrates that talent exists in our country.”
Kenya’s Rising Stars will face record seven-time champions Nigeria, former winners Morocco and Tunisia in a tough Group “B”.
Junior Starlets are set to leave for a week-long training camp in Morocco before crossing over to Egypt for the junior continental showpiece.
The four top teams will qualify for the 2025 Fifa Under-20 World Cup to be staged in Chile from September 27 to October 19.
President William Ruto hands over the national flag to the under-20 men's football team captain Baron Ochieng' at State House, Nairobi on April 15, 2025. Looking on is the team's Coach Salim Babu.
Photo credit: PCS
"I’m handing over this flag as a gesture of goodwill from the people and the Government of Kenya, wishing the team our very best wishes," said President Ruto
Rising Stars qualified for the Afcon Under-20 finals by finishing second in the Cecafa Under-20 regional qualifiers held in Dar es Salaam in October last year.
"That, in itself, is a source of pride for us as a nation, and is a mark of confidence that Kenyan talent has what it takes to excel in our, region, and globally," said Ruto.
Ruto was optimistic that the standards of the game will improve, calling on stakeholders to use athletics as yardstick to gauge if Kenya football has made a big stride in its development.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya was optimistic Kenya will perform well in the competition despite being put against some of the strongest teams in the continent.
"Although the group you have been placed in is touted as a Group of Death, there's no death there. It's a group where you can win, and I’m sure you will win,” said Mvurya.
Football Kenya Federation President Hussein Mohamed assured the Prsident that the team's preparations for the competition has been top notch.
"The officials, led by the youth committee chairman, who is also my vice-president McDonald Mariga, have done a wonderful job of putting this team together and preparing them for this championship," said Mohamed.
“I want to assure you that we are going to fight and make Kenyans proud," said Junior Starlets captain Byron Ochieng’.
Kenya will open their account against Morocco on May 1, take on Tunisia on May 4 before finishing their group assignments three days later against Nigeria.
This will be the second time Kenya will be participating in the tournament after their debut in 1979, when the competition was called the African Youth Championship and there were no qualifiers.
Kenya’s campaign in that edition ended in the first round where they lost 4-2 on aggregate to Ethiopia.
