New Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy smiles during his unveiling at Serena Hotel in Nairobi on March 3, 2025.
Who will pay the salaries of new Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy and his team, and how much is it?
Football Kenya Federation CEO Harold Ndege yesterday declined to give a definitive answer saying only the federation president or NEC can divulge the details.
McCarthy, a former South Africa international, was unveiled as the new Kenya coach in Nairobi on Monday together with his team -- assistant coach Vasili Manousakis, goalkeeper coach Moeneeb Joseph and performance analyst Pilela Maposa.
He took over from Francis Kimanzi who had been the interim coach. During McCarthy’s unveiling on Monday, the federation did not reveal how much it will cost to keep the new team.
Reports indicated that the costs could by as much as Sh8 million a month.
“My job is to protect the federation and I cannot disclose the salary of the coach though, I have seen the contract.
What I can saying is that the coach is not being paid Sh8 million but I cannot reveal the exact amount without permission,” said Ndege.
At Manchester United, where he was the forwards coach from 2022 to 2024, McCarthy was earning about Sh6.6 million per week, according to a South African website inquiresalary.co.za, which translated to Sh26.4 million per month.
The South African did indicate that he had received several offers from Major League Soccer sides but opted to take the Kenya job.
On average head coaches in the MLS earn about $300,000 (Sh38.76 million) a year, according to misfootball.com.
The highest paid in that league can go home with millions of dollars, for instance Bob Bradley on $2.5 million a year when he was coaching Los Angeles FC and Bruce Arena on $2 million with New England Revolution, according to the same site
The issue of who is paying salaries for the Harambee Stars coaches has always cropped up whenever pay disputes arise.
“That one is also an issue which can only be stated by the FKF President and not me even if I speak on behalf of the federation. However, this time we have shared the contract with the government and they were fully involved and briefed on recruitment of the new coach,” said Ndege.
FKF has experienced problems paying former coaches, for instance, Turkish Engin Firat, Algerian-Beglian Adel Amrouche, Scot Bobby Wiliamson and even local coaches like Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee, Mohammed Kheri and others.
Questions of who would foot the salary bills of the national team are valid.
Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba last year blasted the Nick Mwendwa regime for hiring Firat in 2021 without proper procedure and keeping his contract secret.
Namwamba said then the government would not pay Firat because it was not aware of details of appointment and was not involved in any way in hiring him.
Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said it was not the duty of the government to pay a national team coach and that the role rests with the federation.
Successive Harambee Stars coaches have had their salaries paid by the Kenyan tax payers.
Antoine Hey famously signed a contract where he was paid in advance by the Kenyan government in 2009.
The German even refused to travel for a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Nigeria in Abuja over non-payment of his Sh5.2 million three months salary.
Sports Minister then Helen Sambili said they had expected the German Embassy to pay the salary. Hey soon after resigned.
Frenchman Henri Michel was hired for millions of shillings per month in 2012, but left four months later without being paid as the federation and the government bickered on who should pay him
Officials in the previous FKF office disclosed that Firat was earning between Sh1.5 million and Sh2 million per month.
It is understood that Firat had not been paid for 11 months by the time he walked out on the team.
Amrouche took FKF to Fifa over unpaid dues and the world football governing body ordered the federation to pay the Algerian-Belgian Sh110 million in August 2021.
Amrouche, managed the national team for one year before being fired in 2014. He chased his dues in the corridors of justice for six years.
Williamson was awarded Sh55 million by the Employment and Labour Court for wrongful dismissal in October 2020.
The Uganda was fired from his role after Nick Mwendwa took over the helm of the federation back in 2016 and appointed Stanley Okumbi as the head coach.
In December, during the FKF Presidential debate, former Harambee Stars Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee considered as one of the most successful Harambee Stars coaches claimed that he is still owed money by the federation.
“I was claiming Sh2.8 million. Recently, they gave me Sh250,000, so there's still around Sh1 million remaining," said Mulee.
