Government Rewards Harambee Stars for Qualifying for AFCON

Harambee Stars players and technical bench members have received a Ksh. 50,000,000 (500, 000 USD) reward for qualifying for 2019 African Cup of Nations.

In 2018, Kenya’s Deputy President, William Ruto, had pledged to reward the team if they qualified for the biannual showpiece that will be staged in Egypt in June.

After registering wins over Ethiopia and Ghana, Kenya qualified for the tournament and in the process ended the 15-year wait. Kenya last featured in the tournament in 2004 in Tunisia.

The government has now honored its pledge and Stars players will now smile all the way to the bank as revealed by FKF chief Nick Mwendwa.

“We want to sincerely thank the government not only for the release of this funds but also for the unwavering support we continue to receive around our national teams,” FKF president Nick Mwendwa told the federation website.

The government further released Ksh. 244,000,000 (approximately 2,440,000 USD) that will be channeled to preparations for the competition and Mwendwa has thanked the government for supporting the team.

“It is our strong belief that the Ksh 244 million further demonstrates the government’s commitment to supporting football and the long term growth of the sport,” he added.

Kenya will learn of their group opponents when the draw is conducted in Egypt on Friday. The team will then camp on Egypt for three weeks in readiness for the competition.