It's time to strongly invest into rising women's football

It is time the Football Kenya Federation and the government to walk the talk and strongly invest in women’s football.

Unlike the men’s game, little has been done to improve the state of women’s football in the country.

While Harambee Stars are always showered with hefty bonuses from even President William Ruto with less performance on the pitch, it’s the opposite for Harambee Starlets and their junior teams (Rising Starlets-U20 and Junior Starlets-U17).

Interestingly, Junior Starlets was the first ever Kenyan team to qualify for the Fifa World Cup in the Dominican Republic, but looking at how the women's game is managed leaves a lot to be desired. Even after that historic feat, the girls were never given the recognition they deserved, even the flag was never returned to the State House.

Despite making the country proud whenever they feature in international events, Harambee Starlets, Rising Starlets and Junior Starlets still earn much less than their male counterparts, who, for example, not only went home with millions during the 2024 CHAN but were also offered housing units in the government's affordable housing programme.

From unpaid salaries and allowances to lack of prize money/awards for FKF Women’s Premier League and good facilities for their matches as well as sponsors, the women’s game is literally limping. It is very rare to see the women’s league matches held either at the Kasarani Stadium or Nyayo Stadium.

Sadly, most of the players come from humble backgrounds and vulnerable communities, yet those supposed to help improve their lives always take advantage of their state. A number of clubs, including Kisumu Starlets, were recently pushed to relegation after failing to honour their matches due to financial struggles. Wadadia FC endured the same predicament last year. To make matters worse, there will be no FKF Women’s Cup this season. 

It is amazing that whenever called upon, women’s national teams never let Kenyans down. The girls and young women have continued to push themselves with few or no resources at their disposal. Harambee Starlets defied all the odds to return to the delayed 2026 WAFCON for the first time since 2016 after stopping North African giants Tunisia and Gambia in February. And on Wednesday, they gave top-ranked Australia a run for their money in the Fifa Series final at the Nyayo Stadium. That clearly showed the potential women's football has. The Series exposure will be helpful for the players at WAFCON in Morocco later in the year. 

Yet instead of investing in the game, federation and government officials, and even politicians, only appear when the teams have excelled for the optics and they celebrate the success.

Without doubt, sports has evolved from just a pastime to a serious multibillion-dollar industry ready to empower both men and women. It’s on this basis that we call on the government, corporates, football stakeholders and Kenyans at large to support the women footballers just like they do the men.