Why Harambee Stars coach McCarthy is a frustrated man
Football
By
Washington Onyango
| Jun 06, 2026
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy admitted his technical bench made an inexperienced mistake during Kenya’s 1-1 draw against Lesotho in an international friendly match played on Thursday at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa.
Kenya looked set for victory after taking an early lead through Gor Mahia defender Frank Odhiambo, but Lesotho punished the visitors in the second half.
The equaliser came in dramatic fashion just moments after Kenya made a triple substitution in the 69th minute, including replacing goalkeeper Faruk Shikhalo with debutant Caleb Kramer while Lesotho prepared to take a dangerous free kick just outside the penalty area.
Thabo Makhele quickly took advantage of the confusion and netted the equaliser.
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Speaking after the match, McCarthy blamed poor timing and admitted the substitutions disrupted his side’s concentration at a critical moment.
“The fourth official made the substitutions when we wanted him to just play, so that we could do them after the free kick had been taken,” McCarthy said.
“But they insisted, so they made the changes as they were on a free kick. So obviously the goalkeeper got in, and then boom, we conceded a goal like that. That was a bit of inexperience on our part.”
Despite Kenya controlling large parts of the game, the South African tactician was left disappointed by his team’s finishing and decision-making in the final third.
Ranked 34 places above Lesotho, Harambee Stars entered the match as favourites but failed to turn possession and chances into goals. Kenya’s only goal also came after a handling mistake by the Lesotho goalkeeper.
“I think the game was good, but I am not entirely happy and satisfied with the draw,” McCarthy said.
“I think the team needed a match to keep going, because obviously we had so many new players that were coming in for the first time, so we wanted to have a little check on them.”
The match gave McCarthy another opportunity to test new faces as he continues building his squad ahead of future assignments.
Goalkeeper Kramer made his debut after replacing Shikhalo late in the game, while Wealdstone forward Micah Obiero also earned his first appearance for the national team.
Youngsters Stanley Wilson, Lawrence Okoth and Zech Obiero were also handed starting roles as McCarthy rotated his squad and assessed different combinations.
The coach said he was encouraged by some individual displays even though the overall performance still left room for improvement.
“I am happy with some of the players we saw,” McCarthy said.
“It has been a long season, and we had some players who weren't at the game today. I guess we look forward to the upcoming Sunday, and then hopefully we will have a better showcase than what we did here. From what I saw, we got plenty to improve on.”
The result means McCarthy is still searching for more consistency from his side as he continues shaping the squad in his early months in charge.
The former Manchester United tactician, who has repeatedly spoken about building a competitive national team, now hopes Harambee Stars will show improvement when the two nations meet again tomorrow at the same venue.
“We got a good chance against the same opposition,” McCarthy said.
“We know each other now from the first game, so in the second game we will have a completely different team against them, and hopefully we can do a bit better than we did today.”