Harambee Starlets Stage Protest Over Unpaid Allowances Ahead of WAFCON

Players from the Harambee Starlets held a protest Wednesday, July 15, morning at the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Goal Project offices, demanding the immediate payment of their allowances before they travel for the final preparations in France prior to the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

The players were adamant about leaving without having their pending allowances sorted out.

This news comes days before the country’s national women’s team travels to Miramas, France, for their final preparations before the continental showpiece.

The problem with allowances could put a damper on the remarkable period the Kenyan women’s football team has seen, with the Harambee Starlets set to take part in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after a ten-year gap.

State House Discussion Highlights Players’ Welfare

This is less than 24 hours after President William Ruto received Harambee Starlets and Junior Starlets at State House in Nairobi to acknowledge their achievements and ahead of their assignments in the continent.

In the discussion held, the players together with the coaching staff discussed about Kenya’s preparation for the 2026 WAFCON tournament, the improvement of funding, the issue of player welfare, investment in women’s football as well as government support which will ensure that Kenya can compete among the best teams in Africa.

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Coach Beldine Odemba and Captain Mwanalima Adam made an appeal for the payment of the players’ allowances before the team goes to France, stressing that their financial security will enable them to focus more on the tournament.

President Ruto pledged Ksh 5 million as rewards for Harambee Starlets and more incentives for the players to keep them motivated as they prepare for Morocco 2026.

Morocco Preparation Begins in France Camp

The Harambee Starlets will reportedly spend about one week in Miramas, France, honing their game strategies, getting their fitness up, playing pre-tournament games, and preparing for the tournament that will be played in Morocco from July 25 to August 16.

The French camp is considered a vital part of the preparation process since the technical bench believes it offers the team top-notch training facilities and gives them a chance to bond before going against the best in Africa.

Road to WAFCON

It was one of the greatest achievements Kenya got in the recent years when Starlets qualified to play in the 2026 edition of Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Harambee Starlets qualified to the continental tournament after succeeding in the qualification campaign where they qualified for only their second appearance in the tournament, and it has been their first participation since the team made its first appearance in 2016.

This qualification has been mainly credited to the rise of new talents in the squad.

Many of those new talents are graduates from the legendary Rising Starlets who had qualified to play in 2024 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, which happened to be the first time a football team from Kenya, whether male or female, participated in a FIFA World Cup tournament.

Some of the players in that remarkable junior side, including Valerie Nekesa, Elizabeth Ochaka, Lorna Faith, Marion Serenge, Lorine Ilavonga and Pearl Olesi, have been key players in the senior Harambee Starlets team that has managed to qualify to Morocco 2026.

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Historical Successes

In 2016, the Harambee Starlets created history by participating in their first-ever Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, thereby positioning themselves as one of the top women’s football countries in East Africa.

While they failed to make it past the group stage, participation helped create the groundworks for future success.

In 2019, Kenya captured the CECAFA Women’s Championship cup title following an unbeaten run, thus establishing itself as one of the top women’s football countries in the region.

One more historical achievement followed in 2024 when the Junior Starlets qualified for the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic, thus becoming the first Kenyan team to participate in a FIFA World Cup.

This feat later on paved way to successes at the senior team level resulting in qualification for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

At the time of writing neither FKF nor Ministry of Sports had yet released any statement regarding the protest.

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