The national women’s under-17 team, Harambee Junior Starlets, might have exited from the ongoing Fifa Under-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic but the girls leave with their heads held high.
Junior Starlets concluded their campaign on a high, defeating 2018 finalists Mexico 2-1 in their final Group “C” match on Wednesday after they had previously lost to England 2-0 before going down to two-time champions North Korea 3-0.
Junior Starlets’ historic performance, being the first Kenyan football team to qualify for a football world cup and winning a match, has now left the country dreaming big once again on the possibilities of the senior team, Harambee Stars also making it to the Fifa Women’s World Cup.
The inspiring results are a clear manifestation that there is potential at the grassroots and that the country can thrive in football if we have focused leadership from Football Kenya Federation and support from the government.
These players passed through the age group set up from under-13, which emphasises on the need for the continued investment since this is the team that is likely to take Kenya to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Lack of depth is one of the reasons why Harambee Starlets failed to qualify for 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after losing to Botswana 2-1 in November last year.
Junior Starlets’ world cup victory came days after the national under-20 men’s football team, Rising Stars, qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations by virtue of reaching the final of the Council of East and Central Africa Football (CECAFA) Under-20 Championships in Dar es Salaam.
We hope that the new FKF leadership that will be elected on December 7 during the national elections will usher in the much needed change and transformation.
