Winning Harambee Stars has reminded Kenyans how to smile
Columnists
By
Faith Wekesa
| Aug 13, 2025
I am hopeless when it comes to football. Scratch that. I do not know a thing about this beautiful game. Offside? I thought that was about the sidebar chitchat the guys on the bench have.
Then CHAN and Harambee Stars happened and slowly, I guess, I am getting off the clueless bench. And it couldn’t get better. This past Sunday, Harambee Stars gave me and millions of other Kenyans a reason to shout ourselves hoarse from a win that many were sceptical about.
Ranked 109th by FIFA, the Stars have come into CHAN as underdogs, a team dismissed not just by other countries but unfortunately by ourselves too. We’ve had out hearts broken so many times by the lads we chose to embrace European football instead. But their first match win against DR Congo made us sit up. And steadily, game after game, they are showing us who they are and can be. They came with nothing to lose but everything to prove.
The stars continue to come on the pitch driven by belief. The kind that comes not only from talent, but from knowing one has fully prepared for the challenge ahead. Their brilliance so far demonstrates the power of professionalism. Each kick, each pass is calculated and deliberate. Each match approached with almost scientific precision. And magic is happening with every game.
I want to believe it is the support from the thousands of fans thronging the stadiums that fuels them. I imagine what it must feel to have an entire stadium erupt with chants of your name when you are desperate for a win. The songs, the flags, the anticipatory celebration, there is just no way the stars wouldn’t shine with that kind of energy in the air.
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And then there is the incentive graciously offered by the President. With most of the players being local and not enjoying the perks of their internationally based peers, the thought to reward them couldn’t have come at a better time. I mean, who wouldn’t play like their life depended on it with the promise of Sh1 million for every win, half a million for every draw and a staggering Sh600 million for lifting the CHAN title? Coach Bennie McCarthy called it “life-changing” and the lads are certainly approaching each game like it is.
As a country, we so desperately needed these wins. Let’s face it, it’s been a long drought without much to smile about. Economic struggles, political pandemonium, and a string of tragedies have left us drained. We desperately needed something to remind us that the sun can be bright again, warmer even, and we can bask in it even if momentarily and forget everything that may be wrong with our beloved country.
Harambee Stars have united us in ways few things have lately. From Nairobi to my hometown, soon-to-be city, Bungoma. From Garissa to Mombasa. The smiles are broad, the chants loud, the pride in check. We are flooding timelines with photos, graciously enduring traffic on match days, catching highlights from strangers, because these wins are personal.
The Stars have given us a moment and we are taking it all in. We are soaking in the beauty of victory, sharing in their joy because their story feels like ours. They have given us permission to throw our arms in the air and to break into awkward uncoordinated dances with strangers because in these moments, nothing else matters. Not who we voted for, not who is betraying us, certainly not the weight we carry every day. For now, we are winning and oh, does it feel glorious!
I hope tickets for the next game aren’t sold out because I want to heed the call from our CS. I want to find that jersey. I want a miniature flag and a vuvuzela. I want my face painted red, green, black and white for the next match.
I still do not know much about football but I know our team is playing and winning. And I am all for it!