NAIROBI, Kenya, June 8, 2026 – Former Kakamega Homeboyz striker Moses Shumah will get his chance to impress Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy in due time.
Assistant coach Vasili Masounakis says the towering defender only needs to remain grounded and continuing building on his good performance in the Zambian Premier League, thus far.
Masounakis adds that timing has thus far not worked in favour of Shumah who moved abroad to Power Dynamos ahead of last year’s Africa Nations Championships (CHAN).
“Unfortunately for Moses at the time, you know, once we were going through the qualifiers, he was still finding his feet that side and we had some, you know, we had Michael Olunga, we had Jonah, who was playing in Scotland, you know, we had some tough competition up front,” the gaffer said.
The striker’s killer instincts were all on show in his debut season in the Zambian Premier League, scoring 21 goals as Dynamos cruised to the title.
He was awarded the Golden Boot for scoring 24 goals across all competitions, including the Caf Champions League, and crowned the club’s Player of the Season.
Still, the marksman has struggled to earn a place in McCarthy’s Harambee Stars, including in the latest series of friendlies against Lesotho in Pretoria.
On the club front, it couldn’t be any better for Shumah who has been linked to South African giants AmaZulu.
Masounakis believes the no. 9 would be an asset for whatever team acquires his services.
“Certainly if he lands up at AmaZulu, he’ll be a fantastic asset for them, there’s probably a lot of interest in him and as long as he keeps himself grounded and, you know, honest to his trade, which I’m sure he does, he will be an asset to anybody that requires him,” he said.
His continued rise bodes well for the national team, which could do with his predatory tendencies in front of goal.
With Michael Olunga missing out on the national team set-up for quite some time, Stars have had to rely on a young frontline that comprises Austria-based Ryan Ogam, Finland-based Lawrence Okoth and – to an extent – St Mirren’s Jonah Ayunga.
Kenya is preparing to co-host next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) – with Uganda and Tanzania – during which a positive run will go a long way in sweetening the pleasure of staging such a grand contest.
Masounakis believes the pressure will be on to produce the goodies on home soil.
“Certainly there is pressure with that…there’s expectations. We felt this during CHAN, being one of the host nations, but the support again was unbelievable. I think as much as there’s pressure, it also lifts the players to a certain extent because when that stadium is packed, 60, 70,000 Kenyans inside there, it’s exhilarating for the players. It’s a privilege to play in front of a crowd like that and sometimes it just gives you the extra energy and boost you need,” he explained.
Nonetheless, the technical bench hope to make a positive impact on Harambee Stars; Masounakis believes their fruits of their labour are starting to come forth.
“Kenya is really good to us and I think we’ve also done our part so far. We’ve changed the face of Kenyan football a little bit, the way they’ve played, the people are mad, they are crazy about football,” Masounakis said.
As they continue their preparations, McCarthy and Co will be conscious of the fact that Kenyans will be keenly watching and critiquing their selection choices to determine whether they are warranted or not.
An in-form Shumah ensures he will always be part of these conversations – whether for the right or wrong reasons.
