Football Kenya Federation President Hussein Mohammed has promised Benni McCarthy and his team that they will work independently, while reassuring the public his administration will not deal with challenges that have befallen previous national team coaches.Mohammed was speaking during the unveiling ceremony of the former Manchester United first-team coach as new Harambee Stars manager on Monday 3 March, when he signed a two-year deal, taking him to the lead-up of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.Benni McCarthy formally appointed as new Harambee Stars coachMcCarthy replaced former coach Engin Firat, who resigned late last year due to unpaid salaries.Firat in December 2024 wrote a letter to the then newly-elected FKF administration demanding full payment of his accrued salary worth Ksh. 75 million.Engin Firat slaps FKF with huge financial demands, threatens FIFA moveHis case sounded eerily familiar to the Kenyan football fanbase, who in 2016 witnessed FKF sweat over legal suits from two of its former coaches, Bobby Williamson and Adel Amrouche.Just recently in 2020, another former coach – Frenchman Sebastien Migne – threatened to report FKF to FIFA over unpaid dues.It was within that theme that Mohammed provided an assurance for his new managerial hire saying: “We are confident that we have the right commitments from the government on his salary.”“The responsibility [to pay the coach and his staff] lies with them, and we have been reassured that we will not deal with the same challenges again.”Benni McCarthy on why he took Harambee Stars jobMcCarthy’s biggest draw to the Harambee Stars job, admittedly, was how “transparent” the new FKF regime came out during his interviewing process, prompting him to say that “nothing can stop us from succeeding.”On that topic, came the other burning question of how another national team technical bench concern would be handled.##NAJAVA_MECA_8753167##“I can confidently say that we will not interfere with the technical bench or dictate to them how things should and will be done,” Mohammed said on the inner intrigues past Harambee Stars coaches have had to deal with. “They will be completely independent.“All we can ask of you [supporters] is to please be patient. We have the support from FIFA and the Government, and believe we have the most competent bench.”On what attracted him to pick McCarthy among all candidates that interviewed for the job, Mohammed said: “He has a fire in the belly. One that shows that he has something to prove, and comes out as a passionate individual. He is Kenyan as it gets.”Why former Real Madrid and Chelsea star missed out on Harambee Stars jobMcCarthy, who himself spoke of his undying love for Kenya, will be put to the test later this month, when he leads his new side in two key 2026 World Cup Qualifiers against Gambia and Gabon on 17 and 24 March respectively.
