Kibera Girls Soccer striker Mary Ambila celebrates after scoring a goal against Wadadia Women during their Football Kenya Federation Women Premier League match at Mumias Sports Complex on October 22, 2023.
Since taking over in 2016, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has achieved limited success with women’s football.
The FKF Women Premier League (FKF-WPL), the top tier league in the country and the domestic knock-out tournament, continues to struggle without a title sponsor, and winners take home peanuts in prize money.
Many clubs have disbanded as players struggle with little or no pay.
With no money coming through from sponsors and FKF doing little to aid the league move to the next level, clubs and national team, Harambee Starlets, and junior teams continue to underperform.
Starlets featured in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations for the first and last time in 2016, under coach David Ouma, and just months after Nick Mwendwa had been voted in as president.
Three years later, Ouma guided Starlets to the 2019 Cecafa Women's Championship after dethroning holders Tanzania 2-0 in the final in Dar es Salaam. This was the team’s first regional title.
Ouma, currently with Tanzania Premier League side Coastal Union, played a vital role in growing the women's game and had been with the national team for seven years.
“I did my part between 2014-2021 and dusted my feet from women's football having left behind a legacy in Wafcon and Cecafa. The foundation was done with limited resources,” said Ouma.
In January 2021, coach Alex Alumirah took over the team under the FKF Caretaker Committee appointed by former Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed.
Starlets however failed to play in the 2022 Wafcon qualifier against Uganda after CAF cancelled the qualifiers after the disbanded FKF officials informed the confederation that Kenya was not in a position to stage the fixture.
Following their reinstatement FKF appointed Beldine Odemba (inset) as head coach of Harambee Starlets, the first women to occupy that position.
Odemba led Starlets to a historic victory over heavyweights Cameroon in the Wafcon qualifiers before Botswana stopped the Kenyans at the last hurdle last year.
Despite their exploits, Starlets have not received equal treatment as their Harambee Stars counterparts.
For instance, while Stars played 2018 World Cup hosts Russia and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar in friendly matches as part of their preparation for their 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, Starlets faced Highway High School Boys team ahead of their Wafcon qualifying matches.
With the local game struggling, over 30 Kenyan female footballers have crossed over to Tanzania and other parts of the world in search for greener pastures.
Harambee Starlets midfielder Elizabeth Wambui (Simba Queens, Tanzania), Janet Moraa Bundi and striker Airine Madalina (Yanga Princess) are some of the latest exits.
In 2022, CAF made it mandatory for clubs in the men's inter-club competitions to have a women’s team.
As a result, at the beginning of the 2023/24 season, all 18 FKF-PL teams were required to have women’s teams. Only FC Talanta failed to comply and were fined $3,300 (about Sh453,684).
