NAIROBI, Kenya, December 10, 2025 – Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Hussein Mohammed admits that the performance of the country’s age-grade teams has not been satisfactory.
Mohammed believes the teams could – and should – have done better at the international level.
“As a federation, we have not been satisfied with the recent performance of our youth national teams and that’s a fact. We acknowledge the gaps, we accept responsibility and we are committed to addressing them, not through excuses or short-term fixes, but through deliberate structural action,” the president said.
It has been a busy year for Kenya’s age grade football teams, including the Under 15, Under 17 and Under 20 sides.
The men’s under 20 team featured on the continental scene at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt where they exited at the group stage, following losses to Morocco and Tunisia as well as a draw with Nigeria.
On the other hand, the Under 17 women’s team fell short of a second appearance at the World Cup, losing 4-1 on aggregate to Cameroon in the final round of the qualifiers.
More heartbreak for Kenyan football
Their male counterparts did not fare any better, losing 3-0 to Ethiopia in the third-place playoff of the Cecafa Regional qualifiers in Addis Ababa, where they had only one chance of booking their ticket to next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
It went from bad to worse as the national Under 15 teams competed at the Cecafa Regional qualifiers in Kampala, Uganda, for the CAF Schools Championships.
The boys’ side were eliminated at the group stage after finishing third in Group A after a 7-1 loss to Uganda, 2-1 defeat by Burundi before redeeming themselves with a 3-0 triumph over Djibouti.
Their female peers, Emerging Starlets, also kissed goodbye to their qualification hopes after finishing third in Group A – where they faced Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda.
Mohammed attributed the eye-watering performances to derelict youth development structures in the country.
The FKF supremo is hopeful that the recently signed partnership with Acakoro Football Academy is the beginning of the end of the decade-long sad state of affairs.
“One thing has become clear, Kenya has world-class talent and the only thing that we have lacked is proper structures. We have lacked proper structures, long-term development pathways have also been wanting. Today, through this MOU with Akakoro, we begin correcting the gap in a way that is both historic and transformative,” he said.
Under the partnership, the Homa Bay-based academy will scout and identify talented players – born after 2011 – across five regions in the country before enrolling them in their state-of-the-art academy in the South Nyanza county.
The immediate objective is to mould a group of players who will spur Kenya to a historic maiden appearance at the 2027 Under 17 World Cup in Qatar.
In the long term, the goal is to transform the national team, Harambee Stars, into a fearsome side to play against – regardless of the calibre of opponents.
