Kenya’s national football team, Harambee Stars, will today kick off their campaign in the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) PAMOJA 2024 with a high-stakes clash against two-time champions DR Congo. The Group A match is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. at a fully packed Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi.
This fixture marks Kenya’s long-awaited return to continental football and is expected to ignite what many are calling one of the most competitive CHAN tournaments in recent history. Group A features five teams but only two slots are available for the quarter-finals, raising the pressure on every match.
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy, who took charge in March, has spent months preparing the squad despite several hurdles. The South African coach has introduced a new tactical approach and instilled confidence in the team, but their preparations have been affected by the departure of key players and injuries.
Top scorers Moses Shumah and Emmanuel Osoro, both originally named in the squad, completed moves to Zambian club Power Dynamos just before the tournament. Rising star Mohamed Bajaber also left for Simba SC in Tanzania. Additionally, Bandari defender Pamba Swaleh was ruled out due to a medical issue, and Kenya Police midfielder Brian Musa sustained a knee injury.
Despite the setbacks, McCarthy remains optimistic.
“We’ve had solid preparations with tremendous backing from the government,” he said at the pre-match briefing. “Yes, we’ve faced setbacks, but the players have shown great hunger and drive. Choosing the starting XI has been tough, but I’m confident that whoever takes the pitch will make the country proud.”
The team received a major morale boost with a visit from President William Ruto, who joined them for breakfast and pledged cash rewards for their performance. Ruto announced a Sh600 million prize if the team wins the tournament, Sh60 million for reaching the quarterfinals, and Sh70 million for reaching the semifinals. Each player will also get Sh1 million for every win and Sh500,000 for every draw.
“The president’s gesture has energized the entire group,” McCarthy said. “We’re motivated not just by rewards, but by the pride of representing Kenya on home soil.”
On the other side, DR Congo arrives in Nairobi with a mission to redeem themselves after a disappointing CHAN outing in Algeria two years ago, where they exited in the group stage without scoring a goal. The Leopards, the most successful team in CHAN history, with titles in 2009 and 2016, are determined to reclaim their dominance under coach Otis Ngoma Kondi.
“We are not here for tourism,” Ngoma said firmly. “It’s a competition. The conditions here in Kenya are great, but we’re fully focused on football.”
Although DR Congo only played one friendly ahead of the tournament, Ngoma is confident his team is ready.
“Our first goal is to reach the quarter-finals,” he added. “We want to erase the memory of Algeria and go as far as possible — maybe even win it for a third time.”
Kenya and DR Congo have faced each other seven times before, with the most recent meetings being friendlies in 2016, 2017, and 2019. Kenya won the first two and drew the third 1-1 in Spain. But today’s match carries far more weight.
With Morocco, Angola, and Zambia also in the group, both teams know that a strong start could make all the difference. Kenya’s remaining fixtures will be against Angola on August 7, Morocco on August 10, and Zambia on August 17.
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