Harambee Stars’ hopes of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 tournament were dashed on Friday night after they played to a costly 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa.
Kenya went into the match as the favorite based on the head-to-head statistics between the two sides (3W 2D) but ended up failing to achieve their objective.
The Engin Firat-coached side needed a win against the Warriors to maintain any hopes of booking a ticket to next year’s continental showpiece set to be staged in Morocco.
However, they found themselves 1-0 down in the 32nd minute of the hotly contested match thanks to a Tawanda Maswanhise’s strike.
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The national team tried to engineer a comeback but only managed to get an equalizer through Jonah Ayunga who found the back of the net in the 52nd minute.
The draw helped Zimbabwe confirm their participation in the tournament which is scheduled to kick off in December 2025 with a game to spare.
They joined the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, who had earlier secured a spot in the group that also had Namibia.
With Harambee Stars resuming their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification in a few months and the 2027 AFCON edition on the horizon, a decision is expected to be made about whether Firat is the right person to lead Kenya forward.
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A look into his record since landing the coaching job in September 2021 cannot help him convince the jury to give him another chance.
The Turkish tactician has only managed to pick up seven wins in 23 fixtures and only three of those victories came in competitive matches.
Firat’s tenure begun with two consecutive defeats in the hands of West African powerhouse Mali in the 2022 World Cup qualifying tournament.
He then picked up a draw against East African rivals Uganda before securing his first win against minnows Rwanda.
The 54-year-old later went on to guide Harambee Stars in several friendly matches before bagging his biggest win at the helm of Harambee Stars on November 2023. The victory came courtesy of a 5-0 demolition of Seychelles.
Although Firat has faced a lot of challenges in his stint including the lack of an opportunity to play home fixtures in Kenya due to the lack of a standard stadium, his managerial decisions has made most Harambee Stars supporters unhappy with him.
Kevin Teya, a popular football journalist, is among the people who have been fade up with Firat’s tactics.
“Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat has to go, he’s just not good enough. Three competitive wins in three years is unacceptable,” he wrote.
His decision to leave out talented players in crucial clashes has also not been received well by the Kenyan football fraternity.
“I have backed Engin Firat since 2023 when he took charge of his first match versus Iran after the ban was lifted.
He insists on having a settled team that plays together for a long time yet will keep tinkering even when most key players are available. Time to be held accountable,” stated Mark Kinyanjui.
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Harambee Stars results under Engin Firat
1. Mali 5-0 Kenya (Loss)
2. Kenya 0-1 Mali (Loss)
3. Uganda 1-1 Kenya (Draw)
4. Kenya 2-1 Rwanda (Win)
5. Iran 2-1 Kenya (Loss)
6. Pakistan 0-1 Kenya (Win)
7. Mauritius 1-0 Kenya (Loss)
8. Qatar 1-2 Kenya (Win)
9. Kenya 0-1 South Sudan (Loss)
10. Russia 2-2 Kenya (Draw)
11. Gabon 2-1 Kenya (Loss)
12. Seychelles 0-5 Kenya (Win)
13. Malawi 0-4 Kenya (Win)
14. Kenya 3-1 Zimbabwe (Win)
15. Kenya 1-1 Burundi (Draw)
16. Kenya 0-0 Ivory Coast (Draw)
17. Kenya 0-0 Zimbabwe (Draw)
18. Namibia 1-2 Kenya (Win)
19. Cameroon 4-1 Kenya (Loss)
20. Kenya 0-1 Cameroon (Loss)
21. South Sudan 2-0 Kenya (Loss)
22. Kenya 1-1 South Sudan (Draw)
23. Zimbabwe 1-1 Kenya (Draw)