Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has named his squad for Kenya’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Eritrea and Guinea, blending experienced campaigners with a clutch of fresh faces drawn from clubs across Europe.
Captain Michael Olunga, who plies his trade in Qatar, headlines the squad and arrives one goal short of Kenya’s all-time international scoring record, adding extra intrigue to the home leg against Eritrea. He is joined in attack by Job Ochieng, in fine form for Real Sociedad, who earns a recall on the back of strong performances abroad.
McCarthy has also handed debut call-ups to a trio of Europe-based players: defender Amos Wanjala, who turns out for Valencia, and midfielder Manzur Okwaro of Stade Reims, both set to earn their first caps in Harambee Stars colours as the South African tactician continues to widen his scouting net across the continent.
Kenya will host Eritrea on September 26 at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi before travelling to Conakry to face Guinea on October 1, in a pair of Group D fixtures. Kenya has already secured a place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations as a co-host, alongside its East African neighbours, meaning the qualifiers carry less pressure than usual but still offer McCarthy a chance to test his evolving squad combinations before the tournament.
The call-ups continue a pattern under McCarthy of blending senior professionals such as Olunga with a new generation of Kenyan-heritage talent emerging from European academies, a strategy the federation hopes will lift the team’s overall quality heading into the qualifiers and beyond.
Fans will be watching closely to see whether the new faces can settle quickly into the side, with the Nyayo Stadium clash against Eritrea offering the first live test of the freshened-up group.