Nairobi United head coach Godfrey Oduor has thrown his weight behind the Football Kenya Federation’s recent move to scout players of Kenyan origin based abroad to feature for Harambee Stars ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
The former Harambee Starlets assistant coach believes that the magnitude of AFCON demands a broader and more strategic approach, noting that many African nations have already embraced the idea of integrating foreign-based players into their national teams to remain competitive at the highest level.
“We all know the history of AFCON. A number of countries right now are relying on their foreign-based players, especially those based in Europe, and that should tell you the magnitude of AFCON,” said Oduor.
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Oduor pointed out that the level of competition at AFCON is extremely high and requires a blend of quality, experience, and exposure that many European-based players possess. He referenced DR Congo as an example to illustrate how competitive squad selection has become at the continental stage.
“I can single out a nation such as DR Congo. Just the other day you could see a top striker of Fiston Mayele’s calibre, who plays for Egyptian giants Pyramids FC, featuring for only 15 to 20 minutes. Not because he is a bad player, but because of the high quality in the squad, with many players based in Europe. This shows that AFCON is not an easy tournament and should not be taken lightly,” he explained.
Despite supporting the recruitment of foreign-based players, Oduor was quick to emphasize that local-based players still have a crucial role to play in the national team setup. According to him, the key lies in blending both groups to create a competitive and balanced squad capable of delivering strong performances on home soil in 2027.
“This does not mean that our local-based players cannot give a good account of themselves,they can. But if we want to have something that everyone will be proud of, then we must look at our players abroad, how they are performing, and how we can bring them in and ensure they blend well with the local-based players so that we have a good account of ourselves,” he added.
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The Nairobi United tactician further warned that AFCON is a different ball game altogether and requires careful planning, citing Kenya’s heavy 8-0 friendly defeat to Senegal as a reminder of the gap that still exists at the top level.
“Talent-wise we have quality, but in such a tournament it does not need local-based players alone. We need to add a different crop because this is a different ball game. Look at what happened to us during our friendly against Senegal when Kenya lost 8-0. This is not a joke. At such levels you can be badly humiliated if you do not plan carefully. We have talent, but we need to blend it with players who have trained in better facilities, have different experience, and come from good structures to see what they can bring,” Oduor stated.
The Football Kenya Federation, working closely with Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy, has already begun reaching out to players with Kenyan roots in Europe as part of early preparations for AFCON 2027.
The initiative has started to bear fruit, with Leyton Orient midfielder Zech Obiero, currently on loan at Tranmere Rovers, impressing during the recently concluded FIFA Series in Kigali, Rwanda, where he provided an assist against Estonia and scored against Grenada. The move also saw Clarke Oduor return to the national team setup and feature in both matches.
With AFCON 2027 fast approaching, Oduor believes Kenya is taking the right steps by building a strong and competitive squad early, insisting that proper planning and the right player mix will be key to ensuring Harambee Stars put up a respectable performance on home soil and compete effectively against Africa’s best.