- Harambee Stars have named a 25-man squad set to travel to Tanzania for the CECAFA Four-Nation Tournament.
- The tournament is scheduled to run from Monday, July 21 to Sunday, July 27 at Karatu Stadium in Arusha.
- Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Senegal are the four participating nations in the tournament.
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has named a 25-man squad set to travel to Tanzania for the CECAFA Four-Nation Tournament, which will run from Monday, July 21 to Sunday, July 27.
Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Senegal are the four participating nations in the tournament, which serves as a key preparatory event ahead of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
The CHAN competition will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania from August 2- August 30.
The team will be captained by seasoned defender Aboud Omar.
Notable inclusions in the squad are Gor Mahia’s sensational midfielder Austin Odhiambo, Kenya Police duo Mohammed Bajaber and Daniel Sakari, as well as Ryan Ogam and Boniface Muchiri, who are expected to spearhead the attack.
Emerging Shabana star Austin Odongo has also made the cut, while Kenya Police midfield maestro Marvin Nabwire, who joined the camp late, has been included as well.
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The goalkeeping department will feature a trio of custodians: Farouk Shikalo, Byrne Omondi, and Sepstianos Wekesa.
Coach Benni McCarthy’s remarks ahead of CECAFA tournament
Speaking ahead of the tournament, the South African tactician emphasized the importance of the competition as a platform to gauge the team’s readiness for CHAN 2024, which kicks off in two weeks.
“I think it is nice to have two competitive games against strong opposition. I think it will give us a chance to see where we are in terms of game readiness for the upcoming CHAN tournament,” McCarthy said.
So, it will give us an indication of where we still need to strengthen, where we need to improve, because it’s better to have these opportunities with these kinds of matches to rectify or just fix the final details before the tournament starts.”
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He further noted that the matches in Arusha will help the squad build chemistry and give him a better understanding of who is ready to start, who will be on the bench, and how fit the players are heading into the tournament.
“You know we don’t want to get surprises when the tournament starts because we got caught out.
So, these games will give the players a little bit of experience of what is going to come in CHAN, but also help them get ready in terms of fitness, tactically okay, and as a team, so we can bond and be together on the pitch.
The matches will give us a good test to work on all those areas,” he added.
Harambee Stars’ Fixtures
Kenya will open their campaign against regional rivals Uganda Cranes on Monday, 21st July at 3PM, before facing hosts Tanzania on Thursday, 24th July at 4PM.
The Stars will wrap up their group matches with a clash against Senegal on Sunday, 27th July at 1PM. All matches will be played at Karatu Stadium in Arusha.
Harambee Stars travelling squad
Goalkeepers
Byrne Omondi, Faruk Shikhalo, Sebastian Wekesa
Defenders
Siraj Mohammed, Manzur Suleiman, Pamba Swaleh, Aboud Omar, Alphonce Omija, Sylvester Owino, Michael Kibwage, Daniel Sakari, Lewis Bandi, Kevin Okumu
Midfielders
Brian Musa, Alpha Onyango, Marvin Nabwire, Austin Odhiambo, Ben Stanley, Boniface Muchiri
Forwards
Mohammed Bajaber, David Sakwa, Ryan Ochieng, Felix Oluoch, Austin Odongo, Masud Juma
CECAFA Four-Nation Fixture
July 21
- Kenya vs Uganda – 3:00 PM
- Tanzania vs Senegal – 6:00 PM
July 24
- Senegal vs Uganda – 3:00 PM
- Tanzania vs Kenya – 6:00 PM
July 27
- Kenya vs Senegal – 1:00 PM
- Uganda vs Tanzania – 4:00 PM