Kenya’s senior men’s football team the Harambee Stars will on 29th May 2016 host Taifa Stars of Tanzania in an international friendly fixture in Nairobi.

The timely development was acknowledged by both the Football Kenya Federation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Robert Muthomi and the President of Tanzania Football Federation Jamal Malinzi.

The two neighbors will use the tie as a build up to match day 5 of the AFCON 2017 qualifiers slated between June 3-5, where Kenya will play Congo Brazzaville on 3rd in Nairobi while Tanzania will host seven times champions Egypt on 4th.

Taifa Stars, Nigeria and CHAD who are in group “D” together with Egypt are already out of the road to Gabon 2017. The Egyptians were among the First Nations to sail through while CHAD withdrew halfway through the qualifiers.

Kenya are rock bottom in group “E”which is led by Guinea Bissau followed by Congo and Zambia in that order.

Stars almost have a zero chance of making it the Gabon next year, but the FKF president Nick Mwedwa believes the friendly will go along way in helping the country achieve a long term plan of playing in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

“We want to start playing during FIFA dates, it’s something we have not been doing and I believe this is a new beginning. Ours is a long term plan and we want to do it right,” Nick told Soka25east.com from Kisumu.

“We would have wanted to play a country with a similar style as Congo but most countries ask for money for such friendlies and we couldn’t afford it. Again most countries planned friendlies last year.” He added.

Nick is hosting a CAF delegation in Kisumu; the team is inspecting the country’s facilities ahead of CHAN 2018 which Kenya hosts.

@bonfaceosano

Bonface Osano

African Football Writer contributing @Soka25east | Commentator; appeared on @MySoccerAfrica, @KweseSports, @ntvkenya, others | Keen follower of African Football. E-mail: bonfaceosano@gmail.com