Kenya’s crashing out of the 2024 African Nations Championship (Chan) served as a bitter reminder of just how far behind Harambee Stars have fallen against their opponents. But beneath the disappointment lie invaluable lessons for Kenya in her quest to become African football powerhouse.

Chan has shown Kenya that there is no alternative to investing in talent development, appointing the right coach, ensuring proper team selection and preparation, and fostering team cohesion. Above all, the role of motivation can’t be overstated.

On Friday, Harambee Stars exited the 19-nation biennial tournament in the quarter-final stage after losing 4-3 to Madagascar on post-match penalties at the 48,000-seater Moi International Sports Centre (MISC) Kasarani in Nairobi. Both teams had tied 1-1 at the end of regular time and extra time. To reach the knock-out stage, Harambee Stars, coached by South African football legend Benni McCarthy, stunned two-time champions Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo with identical 1-0 wins. The hosts also defeated Zambia 1-0, and drew 1-1 with Angola.

Kenya led Group “A” with 10 points, one more than Morocco, who also progressed to the knock-out stage. Remarkably, Stars played over an hour with 10 men against both Morocco and Angola following red cards on midfielders Marvine Nabwire and Chrispine Erambo. McCarthy has praised his charges for punching above their weight in the tournament, but emphasised the need to continuously build the team to avoid another heartbreak from penalties.

“Hopefully, we can just work in a good way moving forward, that we make sure the national team is stronger and we don’t go through this situation again. I don’t want to see penalties anytime soon,” he said after Kenya’s loss to Madagascar. That Kenya did not score more than one goal in any match points a lack of many creative players and finishers in the team.

Attacking midfielder Austine Odhiambo was Harambee Stars’ key creative player. He not only scored a stunning goal against DR Congo, but also converted a penalty after being fouled in the box against Angola. Striker Ryan Ogam showcased his clinical touch with decisive goals against Morocco and Zambia. He thought he had added another against Madagascar, only for it to be cancelled due to a foul in the build-up. Late call-ups Masoud Juma and Felix Oluoch were not lucky to score in the tournament.

Like his predecessors, McCarthy has reckoned that Kenya is the bedrock of football talent and with proper football investment, Harambee Stars can be a formidable side.

“The future for Kenya is bright, but you must give talent time. Hopefully, we will be able to nurture and grow it,” the former Manchester United first-team forwards coach said. Praising McCarthy as the right coach to handle Harambee Stars, veteran coach and Fifa instructor Bob Oyugi emphasised the need for proper talent development, especially strikers. He said this can only be achieved through structured pathways, which include setting up Under-17, 20 and Under-23 teams.

“We need to improve in our striking. If we have structures, definitely we will have a big pool to choose strikers from,” said Oyugi.

For several years, Kenya has depended on Michael Olunga as the main striker. However, he is ineligible to play in Chan tournament, which is exclusively reserved for players featuring in their respective domestic leagues. Olunga plays for Qatari champions Al-Arabi.

In the days leading up to Chan, McCarthy suffered a big blow in his preparations after lead strikers Moses Shumah and Emmanuel Osoro pulled out of the team to join Zambian giants Power Dynamos. Initially not included in the Chan squad, goalkeeper Byrne Omondi is among the players who stood out for Kenya in the tournament.

In McCarthy’s view, he is another case of talent development.

“In most of the videos and matches we had seen of him, he was a player who made a lot of individual errors that became very costly, so when we integrated him with the team, we focused a lot not just on his performance but concentration and focus levels,” explained the South African football legend.

Coach McCarthy attributed Kenya’s strong performance in Chan to the deep sense of “trust” that they share among themselves in the squad. McCarthy, who enjoys a close relationship with his players, has also been central to fostering that unity.

“I call him baba (dad),” Harambee Stars defender Daniel Sakari said, adding: “We know the great things he has achieved, first as a player and as a coach, so with him at the helm, we have the belief that you can come from Africa and go play there in Europe and perform your best We work for him too because he has to maintain the legacy.”

But even as Kenyans find some solace in Harambee Stars quarter-final finish, one thing is clear – they never had adequate preparation for the tournament.

Having pulled out of the Cecafa Four Nations tournament due to prevailing conditions in Kiratu, Arusha, which FKF deemed unsuitable for the team’s preparations, they did not get a chance to test themselves against top sides. Instead, their build-up was limited to matches against themselves and local-based teams.

A key ingredient in Kenya’s strong performance was also the monetary reward from President William Ruto.

For every victory, President Ruto rewarded each Harambee Stars’ squad members with Sh1 million while a draw earned them Sh500, 000. Ahead of Kenya’s final Group ‘A’ match against Zambia, Ruto raised the stakes by promising each member of the team Sh2.5 million if they win the match. In total, each member of the squad pocketed Sh5 million from the President.