Harambee Starlets captain Mwanalima Jereko has become the second Kenyan woman to reach the league phase of the UEFA Women’s Champions League after helping Danish champions HB Køge eliminate PSV Eindhoven.
HB Køge drew 1-1 with PSV on September 2, to progress 2-1 on aggregate.
The achievement during the match puts Jereko in the footsteps of fellow Kenyan international Marjolen Nekesa Wafula, who became the first Kenyan woman to reach this stage with Czech club Slavia Prague in 2023.
Who is Mwanalima Jereko
Born on September 4, 1997, Mwanalima Adam Jereko grew up in Likoni and Kilindini in Mombasa, where her football journey began on local pitches.
Known by the nickname Dogo, she developed her talent at Vyemani Primary School before continuing her education at St John’s Kaloleni Girls High School in Kilifi.
According to Jereko, she faced resistance to her football ambitions, with her father initially believing football offered little as a career.
Despite the resistance, her mother encouraged her to pursue the sport, and Jereko drew inspiration from uncles who played football.
Career and Achievements
Mwanalima Jeroko played professionally for Mombasa Olympic Ladies.
Later, Mwanalima joined the Thika Queens in 2018, and in 2021, she emerged as the leading scorer in the Kenyan Women’s Premier League, helping Thika Queens complete an unbeaten campaign.
Her performances attracted interest outside Kenya, and later in 2021, the Harambee Starlets captain joined Hakkarigücü Spor in Turkey.
At Hakkarigücü Spor, Mwanalima Jereko quickly established herself as one of the club’s attacking players.
She scored her first professional hat-trick in a 6-0 victory and continued to find the net regularly. By 2023, she had also taken on the responsibility of captaining the Turkish side.
Her performances eventually opened the door to a move to the United States.
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Historic NWSL move
In August 2024, Mwanalima Jereko joined Kansas City Current, becoming the first Kenyan woman to play in the National Women’s Soccer League.
After her time in the United States, she moved to Denmark and, in July 2025, joined HB Køge on loan, before the Danish club made the transfer permanent later that year.
Marjolen Nekesa: First Woman in UEFA Women’s Champions League
Before Jereko became the second woman in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, Marjolen Nekesa Wafula was recognized as the first woman ever in Kenyan football history.
Born on October 27, 1998, in Kitale, Nekesa grew up around Nangili in Kakamega County.
Her father introduced her to football at an early age, and she attended Butere Girls High School before moving to the United States on a scholarship to Oklahoma Wesleyan University, where she studied sports management.
At the Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Marjolen Nekesa scored 25 goals during her freshman season.
Nekesa turned professional in 2022 when she joined Belarusian club FC Minsk.
During her first season in Europe, she scored 31 goals in 15 appearances, establishing herself as one of the most prolific Kenyan players abroad.
She later moved to Czech giants Slavia Prague, becoming the first Kenyan woman to play in the Czech Republic.
At Slavia, she finished as the Czech Women’s First League’s top scorer in the 2022/23 season with 14 goals.
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Nekesa’s Champions League Breakthrough
Nekesa became the first Kenyan woman to feature in the UEFA Women’s Champions League with Slavia Prague.
Additionally, Nekesa scored twice in the opening minutes against Olimpia Cluj as Slavia advanced in Champions League qualifying.
UEFA’s records list Nekesa among Slavia Prague’s Champions League scorers, with three goals for the club in the competition.
Her rise, however, was not without challenges. In 2024, Nekesa publicly spoke through FIFPRO about a dispute with her former agent over money she said she was owed after her time at Minsk.
“In May, we received the remainder of our salary for March, but they continued paying too little. After spending three months with FC Minsk, I filed a complaint with the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber. And during the summer of 2022, I moved to my current team, Slavia Prague, in Czechia,” Marjolen Nekesa Wafula stated.
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