Kenya out as CECAFA confirms Women's Championship draw

Harambee Starlets Neddy Achieng notify referee in the Africa Women Cup of Nations Qualifiers return leg match against South Sudan at the Nyayo National Stadium, Oct 23, 2021. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Defending champions Kenya are out of the 2022 Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) Senior Women’s Championship to be hosted by Uganda from May 22nd to June 5th at the FUFA Technical Centre in Njeru.

Eight teams that will be participating in the competition have been pooled into two groups where they will be fighting for the title that was won by Kenya when the tournament was last held in Tanzania.

Kenya’s Harambee Starlets will miss out due to the FIFA Suspension. The eight teams that will compete include hosts Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Djibouti, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zanzibar.

The tournament will be making a comeback after a three-year break due to Covid-19.

The Senior Women’s Championship will be the first competition on the CECAFA calendar in 2022. Burundi and Uganda are expected to use the Championship to prepare their teams ahead of the Total Energies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations to take place in July in Morocco.

In Group A, Uganda will face off against Burundi Rwanda and Djibouti.

Tanzania will tackle Zanzibar, Ethiopia and South Sudan in Group B.

Former Vihiga Queens forward Jentrix Shikangwa stole the show in 2019 when she came off the bench to score a second half brace as Kenya defeated Tanzania 2-0 to win the title.