Veteran Kenyan women’s football coach Mary Adhiambo, popularly known as ‘Busu,’ has taken on a new challenge after joining Kibera Soccer Women as the club’s first-team assistant coach ahead of the 2026/27 FKF Women’s Premier League season.
Her appointment to Kibera came shortly after Kayole Starlets officially announced her departure on July 24, 2026, after three years with the club as the coach.
“We are delighted to announce the appointment of Coach Mary Adhiambo “Busu” as our new Assistant Coach ahead of the 2026/27 season. A true veteran of Kenyan women’s football, Coach Busu brings over two decades of experience across the game—first as a player and later as a coach and mentor. A former Harambee Starlets player, she represented Kenya from the 1990s into the 2000s before transitioning into coaching,” Kibera Soccer Women FC statement dated September 10 read.
Early Life and Football Journey
During an interview with Women’s eNews, the coach explained that in her early childhood in Nairobi, she looked and dressed like a boy.
“I looked like a boy in my childhood. My mother dressed me like one, and I found myself taking up boys’ roles. That is how I started playing soccer,” Mary Adhiambo explained about her interest in football.
By her late twenties, she had accumulated about 15 years of playing experience and had become one of the recognizable figures in women’s football while playing for Makolanders.
Later, she represented the Harambee Starlets, playing as a defensive midfielder and featuring during the establishment of the women’s national team on the international stage.
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Mary Adhiambo’s Coaching Career
In 2015, Mary joined the Harambee Starlets technical setup as an assistant coach and later left the club in 2017.
Between 2018 and 2021, Adhiambo served as head coach of Mathare United Women and later, in 2023, took charge of Kayole Starlets after replacing Joshua Sakwa.
During the 2024/2025 season, Adhiambo led Kayole Starlets to the Women’s National Super League Zone A title.
In addition, she secured the club’s promotion to the FKF Women’s Premier League and led the side in the Women’s Premier League.
Kayole finished the campaign with 50 points, six ahead of second-placed Mathare United.
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National Team and Youth Development
Adhiambo has also continued to work within the national team structure, extending her coaching experience to youth football.
In August 2026, the Football Kenya Federation appointed her head coach of the Kenya U-15 Girls’ National Team for the CAF African Schools Football Championship CECAFA qualifiers in Kigali, Rwanda.
She was responsible for a 20-player squad selected for the September 3 to 5, 2026 qualifiers.
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