Benni alerts Chiefs, Pirates and Sundowns about Kenyan star – ‘Reminds me of Onyango’

Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy has alerted top South African clubs about a Kenyan player whom they should consider signing.  

McCarthy, who has been Kenya national team coach since March 2025, led his side to a 1-1 draw against Eritrea in a 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Nairobi on Saturday and was satisfied with the performance of a number of his players.

One of those is goalkeeper Byrne Omondi, who plays for Kenyan champions Gor Mahia, and the former Cape Town City and AmaZulu FC coach feels the custodian should be manning the goal for a top South African side.

McCarthy has likened the lanky goalkeeper to Mamelodi Sundowns legend Denis Onyango, saying his performances makes him wonder why he is not in the top leagues in Africa or playing for a European team.

Benni on why Kenyan star deserves top club

“He reminds me a lot about Denis Onyango with his time at Sundowns and big stature and every single day in training and during CHAN, he was impactful,” McCarthy said of Omondi after Saturday’s match as per Pulse Sports Kenya.

“For the life of me, I couldn’t understand how he was still playing in the Kenyan league. No disrespect to the teams in Kenya but I thought he is a goalkeeper that can play in Europe, Egypt, Morocco and in the South African league. He is that good.”

McCarthy’s words come at a time when Omondi is under investigation from his club, who have suspended him, after a couple of howlers during his team’s CAF Champions League loss to Rulani Mokwena’s Pyramids, who beat them 5-1in the second in Cairo this month.

Omondi facing scrutiny over CAF display

The Bafana legend feels the goalkeeper is being unfairly targeted as he has been one of the most outstanding players during his 18-month spell as Kenya head coach.  

“We have faith, we believe in that. He gets criticised for whatever reason it is for his club but for the national team, what he does when he plays for myself and the technical team, is completely different,” he added.

Omondi, capped 18 times for Kenya, has played all his career in Kenya, having featured for KCB and Bandari FC before joining Gor Mahia.