Kenyan President Ruto and FKF Reacts to Benni McCarthy’s Harambee Stars Project

The new era for the Harambee Stars, led by head coach Benni McCarthy, is off to a promising start. According to assistant coach Vasili Manousakis, the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and President William Ruto have provided glowing feedback on the team's direction and recent performance.

Since taking the helm in March with his South African technical team—which includes Manousakis, goalkeeper coach Moneeb Josephs, and performance analyst Pilela Maposa—McCarthy has quickly made his mark. 

The team's participation in the 2025 CHAN tournament, where they co-hosted and reached the quarter-finals, seems to have been a key indicator of their progress. 

Their campaign ended after a narrow penalty shootout loss to Madagascar, but the effort was not lost on the leadership.

Manousakis confirmed that the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, reflecting the leadership’s belief in the project. 

This support is crucial as Kenya prepares to co-host the prestigious 2027 AFCON tournament with Uganda and Tanzania. The nation is pinning its hopes on the leadership to ensure all is in place for a successful tournament, and the positive reinforcement for McCarthy's team suggests they are on the right track.

‘THEY ARE EXTREMELY PROUD OF US’

“The public is so positive and the messages of support are phenomenal,” said Manousakis during an interview with FARPost.

“I think we’ve brought some pride back into Kenyan football. This is not our opinion, but what we are told by the public.

“Obviously, we have been addressed by the Federation; they are extremely proud of us and what we have done so far. But this is just a start so far; we had aimed to go a little bit further [in the CHAN tournament], but it’s positive all around.

“At the moment, everybody is proud to be Kenyan, I mean, everyone associated with football. I mean the comments from the president of the country [William Ruto], his appearances at the games, when he comes to address us.

“He’s extremely proud of what we have achieved; hopefully, it’s a stepping stone for us to kick on and really concentrate on preparations for AFCON 2027.”