Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba has confidently asserted that the Harambee Stars technical team is diligently working to forge a formidable squad capable of taking on the likes of Mo Salah’s Egypt and Sadio Mane’s Senegal.
These two African football stars could potentially face off against the Harambee Stars if they represent their national teams in the AFCON 2027.
Kenya is set to co-host the tournament with East African neighbors Uganda and Tanzania after winning a joint hosting bid.
“I am telling the Harambee Stars technical bench, look even at these youngsters and make sure that we build a formidable Harambee Stars that can take on Egypt and Salah, can take on Senegal and Sadio Mane,” declared an optimistic Namwamba.
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Furthermore, Namwamba expressed his confidence that the Harambee Stars, along with their Ugandan and Tanzanian counterparts, should not merely participate in the AFCON 2027 tournament but aspire to contend for the coveted title.
“We don’t just want to add up the numbers; we want to compete in AFCON,” he added. Namwamba, a former Member of Parliament, passionately called upon the Taifa Stars, Uganda Cranes, and Harambee Stars to seize this opportunity to showcase their talents and potential.
To ensure that the national team is adequately prepared for the tournament, the Kenyan government, through the Ministry of Sports, has committed to providing support for talent scouting across various leagues, both domestically and internationally.
Namwamba and his performance rating
Regarding his performance rating, he confidently stated, “I would actually give myself a 9 out of 10.
The remaining one is simply because there are a couple of things which I believe by the time we hit exactly 12 months it will be a 10 out of 10.”
He went on to affirm that he found a Ministry that was already in a huge mess and had since taken the right steps to revive it.
Kenyan football enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating the possibility of witnessing top professional stars like Mo Salah and Sadio Mane play on home turf if they represent their national teams during AFCON 2027.
Beyond football, Namwamba also discussed various initiatives and improvements in the sports sector.
“We have put up an absolutely incredible agenda for young people. We will build the resilience of young people for job creation and creating platforms for innovation,” he announced.
In terms of infrastructure development, Namwamba revealed, “We are renovating Kasarani, Nyayo, Kipkeino, and Bukhungu stadiums and building spanking new stadiums in readiness for an incredible AFCON. I am very excited for Kenya, I must say.”
These stadium upgrades, he said, not only prepare Kenya for hosting AFCON but also serve as a testament to the nation’s commitment to sports development.
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Moreover, he emphasized the importance of East African unity, stating, “We will not disagree over who will host the opening or closing ceremony or the final game.
The most important thing is that we have succeeded as East Africa.”
In his view, this collaborative approach underlines the regional cooperation that contributed to the East African neighbors winning the joint bid to host AFCON 2027.
