Somewhere in Europe right now, a footballer with Kenyan blood is pulling on a club jersey, scoring goals, winning aerial duels, commanding a penalty box. Benni McCarthy needs to know his name. More urgently, the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) needs to have already made the call.
12 months remain before Kenya hosts Africa's biggest football tournament. On June 19, 2027, the Harambee Stars walk out at Kasarani or the new Raila Odinga Stadium before a nation that has waited generations for this moment. Hosting Afcon is one thing. Competing in it is another entirely.
And that is why we need to prepare early even as we enjoy the World Cup where African teams have done well so far.
McCarthy has done the sensible thing by casting a wide net. In March 2025, he travelled to England with FKF vice president McDonald Mariga to assess a clutch of heritage prospects. Some have since committed. Others are still watching and waiting. This column is a public nudge to both the federation and the players: time is gone.
Start with the man already in the system who must be protected at all costs. Job Ochieng at Real Sociedad made his LaLiga debut in February 2026 and signed a contract extension keeping him in San Sebastian until 2028.
The 21-year-old winger scored crucial goals in LaLiga 2, including a brace against Castellon, and was part of the Copa del Rey-winning squad that beat Atletico Madrid. He is, right now, the most technically accomplished Kenyan footballer operating in a top European league. His injury in the June window was a fright. He must be first on the teamsheet when fit.
Then there is Tyler Onyango. The Everton academy midfielder, born in England to a Kenyan father, has Premier League DNA. McCarthy met him during the UK trip. Onyango has reportedly expressed openness to the Harambee Stars jersey. FKF must close that deal now, not next month, not after the next qualifier. A disciplined holding midfielder schooled in the English game would transform how Kenya controls matches.
Aldrine Kibet at RC Celta de Vigo, only 18 and on a four-year professional contract with the LaLiga club, represents exactly the kind of elite development Kenya has never had before. Amos Wanjala, 19, now at VCF Mestalla in Spain's second division, captained the U20 side and carries the physical presence and reading of the game that reminds seasoned watchers of a young Joseph Okumu.
Speaking of Okumu, the Stade de Reims centre-back remains the cornerstone of any back four capable of holding shape against continental opposition. Manzur Okwaro, also on loan at Reims, provides exactly the partnership cover he needs.
In midfield, Richard Odada at Dundee United has been the heartbeat of the team through the qualifiers. Around him, Kenya needs creativity. Andre Gitau, Zechariah Obiero and Silko-Amari Thomas Otieno were among those assessed in England. At least one of them must be on the next plane to Nairobi.
Up front, Moses Shumah's golden boot campaign at Power Dynamos in Zambia has made him impossible to ignore. The 23-year-old offers what Michael Olunga does not: raw pace and a hunger forged in the domestic league grind. Olunga remains captain and focal point. Kenya cannot be a one-striker team at a home Afcon.
FKF must accelerate passport and documentation processes for every eligible heritage player still in limbo. Bureaucracy has already cost Kenya players in previous cycles. It cannot happen again.
The players are out there. Ochieng in Spain. Onyango at Everton. Kibet in Galicia. Wanjala in Valencia. Odada in Scotland. Shumah in Zambia. This is not a talent crisis. It is a recruitment and coordination failure waiting to happen.
Solve it, and Kenya can be genuinely dangerous on home soil. Ignore it, and the summer of 2027 becomes a conversation about what might have been.
dgcagrica@gmail.com