- Benni McCarthy was officially unveiled as the new Harambee Stars head coach on Monday, March 3, 2025.
- The former Bafana Bafana player will take charge of Kenya’s national team until 2027.
- FKF President Hussein Mohammed has pinpointed some of the main reasons they decided to give McCarthy the Harambee Stars job.
The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Hussein Mohammed has revealed the attributes that made them settle for Benni McCarthy as the Harambee Stars head coach.
McCarthy, who arrived in the country on Wednesday last week, was officially introduced as the new coach of the Kenya national men’s football team in a colorful ceremony that was held in Nairobi earlier today.
The 47-year-old has signed a long-term contract that will see him guide the Harambee Stars until 2027.
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Speaking during the unveiling ceremony, FKF president stated that they picked McCarthy over the other candidates who had shown a strong interest for the job because of his positive connotation.
“He has fire in the belly. He is one of those players and now one of those coaches that really had something to prove. And he has shown from his passion, from the conversations we have had with him when we were talking to the different coaches, because we talked to quite a number, and Benni came across as an individual, who really had the passion for it.
I mean he is as Kenyan as it can get. He is African, he understands our culture. The culture in South Africa is not very different,” explained Mohammed.
He added that McCarthy’s disposition also made him the right person to take charge of the national team.
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As stated by Mohammed, the former FC Porto and West Ham United forward will do wonders with the support from stakeholders.
“He is a pan Africanist, and we looked around and his character also fits the bill. We felt strongly as a federation that given the opportunity, given his exposure and track record, with a little support from the federation he will go all the way and we believe he has what it takes to deliver for this country,” he commented.
Salary
When asked whether Kenya will have a challenge paying the new coach and his technical bench their salaries, Mohammed assured that everything will go on smoothly.
The man, who recently took over from Nick Mwendwa, divulged that key government officials were part and parcel of the recruitment process.
“The responsibility of the national team of course lies with the government across the world. It is not unique in Kenya. Governments usually cater for the bill when it comes to the national teams, both men and women and also for the youth teams.
It is not any different here, I know we have got a little bit of history but we are confident we have gotten the right commitment from our government. I am very reassured that we will not be dealing with the same situation or the problems that we have had in the past,” ended Mohammed.
McCarthy will reportedly earn a whopping Ksh 8,000,000 monthly salary, making him one of the highest paid coaches in the Africa.
He will work alongside Vasili Manousakis (assistant coach), Pilela Maposa (performance analyst) and Moeneeb Josephs (goalkeeper coach).
Huge task ahead
The father of five is expected to start his Harambee Stars journey with crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier ties against Gambia and Gabon that are slated for March 17 and March 24 respectively.
McCarthy, who has disclosed that he will be keen to incorporate youngsters in the national team, will then shift his focus to the upcoming African Nations Championship (CHAN) that will be hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in August.
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