Let’s all rally behind Harambee Stars

The 32nd Africa Cup of Nations finals, which kick off in Egypt today, bear added significance to Kenyan fans. For the first time since 2004, when the premier football tournament was hosted by Tunisia, Kenya’s national team, Harambee Stars, will be among the competitors.

The breakthrough after a 15-year hiatus is largely attributed to astute planning by Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and impeccable funding of the team by the national government.

FKF hired Sebastien Migne as coach when the Stars’ qualification campaign was on the rocks and the Frenchman steered the team through to the finals. Government funding, engineered by President Uhuru Kenyatta, saw the team hold a first class training camp in France and, for the first time in many years, there have been no complaints of unpaid allowances.

On Thursday, opposition leader Raila Odinga visited the team’s camp in Cairo, further motivating the squad captained by the decorated Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Victor Wanyama.

It is principally for these reasons that Kenyans expect the Stars to deliver and reciprocate the taxpayers’ good gesture by getting past Algeria, Senegal and local rivals Tanzania to cruise into the knockout stages from Group ‘C’.

Egypt won the hosting rights for the prestigious tournament after initial hosts Cameroon were deemed sluggish. And it is just as well because this will play a huge role in exciting a host nation that has endured social and political turbulence over the past few years. The Afcon finals is the first major sporting competition to have been organised since fierce street protests, ignited in Tahrir Square, Cairo’s cradle of democracy, led to the ouster of the country’s long-serving tyrant Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Egyptian authorities have assured the teams and their fans of guaranteed security as the tournament kicks off just days after the burial of the nation’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsy, and hot on the heels of a roadside bombing that killed 17 people near the iconic pyramids of Giza.

Tension in the Sinai Peninsula hasn’t made matters any easier for the Egyptians, who hope successful hosting of the finals will renew travellers’ interest in a nation with an enviously rich history.

The rest of eastern Africa is bound to follow the tournament keenly, with Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi also having qualified for the continental showpiece.

We wish Harambee Stars all the best in Egypt and appeal to fans countrywide and abroad to rally behind our national team.

Success in the Africa Cup of Nations will spark off a successful campaign for, possibly, Kenya’s first appearance at the Fifa World Cup finals in Qatar in 2022. Let’s do it, Harambee Stars!