Benni McCarthy says the “transparency” of the new Football Kenya Federation regime was a big sell in his acceptance to becoming Kenya’s new men’s national football team head coach.Former Bafana Bafana striker McCarthy was on Monday 3 March officially unveiled as the new Harambee Stars coach, putting pen to paper a two-year deal that will see him take charge of the team leading up to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.Benni McCarthy formally appointed as new Harambee Stars coachAsked what attracted him to coach Kenya, McCarthy said: “Transparency. The new Federation was very open with me and what they wanted to achieve.In my experience, I have dealt with many South African teams and I can say that transparency is one of the biggest problems we have in Africa.But speaking to FKF, they were very honest with me on what I should expect, and I gladly took up the challenge.”Among the major hurdles past Kenya national team coaches have faced include delayed salaries and interference from federation officials.🚨🇿🇦 Benni McCarthy on playing style:“It’s my experience that I have gone through in my life as a player in my career playing under all these different coaches and that. Now I’m the coach now I implement little bit of everything” pic.twitter.com/dkLWgd4iwN— Eric Njiru ⚽️ (@EricNjiiru) March 3, 2025 McCarthy said that while a saying “everything will not be roses” stays true, Harambee Stars felt the right job to take up.”You know I took my coaching badges in Europe, and I know how to work in the right way,” the 47-year-old said. “That’s the mentality I want to bring to the players, so that they understand that everything is possible with pure hard work, commitment, and determination.”Asked about his long-term goals, McCarthy, a former Manchester United first-team coach, said: “Make Kenya the best football side Africa has ever seen.”Sofapaka youngster eyeing Harambee Stars CHAN squadHaving not coached a national team before, it was put to the former Porto player that Kenya’s job is highly pressurized, given the unique nature of fans to demand positive results.To that he said: “When you see that passion, you know that the fans care.So far the national team hasn’t produced and so I understand their pain.However, the way I want to work is to turn negativity into positivity. People will be surprised with what we will achieve.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8750524##Up ahead of him this month are two crucial 2026 World Cup Qualifiers against Gambia and Gabon on 17 and 24 March respectively.On Kenya’s prospects in those games, McCarthy went full arithmetics.”We are not very far behind those in the top positions,” he said. “All we have to do is win the next two games, and we are up to 11 points, which is very close to qualification. Nothing is impossible. We will make it work. We just need to have a positive mindset.”
