Despite a challenging year, mainly occasioned by a lack of government funding, Harambee Starlets and coach David Ouma have been nominated for the women national team and coach of the year awards respectively by the Confederation of African Football (Caf).
It is the second time in three years Kenya’s national women’s football team is receiving nomination for this continental award.
EXCITED
Both Ouma and Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa have reacted to the good news with execitment.
“I’m really excited. We have been working very hard with these talented ladies and the results are beginning to show,” Ouma told Nairobi News on phone from Dar es Salaam.
Ouma is preparing Starlets for the final of this year’s Cecafa Women Championship against hosts Tanzania at the Chamadzi grounds on Monday.
“We are humbled by the nominations. It goes to show the good work being done behind the scenes to develop women football, hopefully, we can build on this going forward,” Mwendwa said.
Kenya’s recognition follows impressive returns, specifically wins over Malawi and Ghana in the 2020 Olympic qualifiers.
MALE NOMINEES
Bigwigs Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Zambia, South Africa, and Nigeria have also been nominated for the same award.
Meanwhile, no male Kenyan player, team or coach has been nominated in either of the four categories.
But Ugandans Dennis Onyango and Emmanuel Okwi, Rwandan Meddie Kagere and Algerian coach Djamel Hamadi have made the cut.
At the same time, Tanzanian hitman Mbwana Samatta, who plies his trade for Genk in the Belgian top division, has, alongside, English Premier League stars Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon, Arsenal), Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool), Sadio Mane (Senegal, Liverpool) and Riyad Mahrez (Algeria, Manchester City) been nominated for the prestigious African Player of the Year award.
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