In a feat that gave a glimpse of the potential of Kenyan football, the under-17 national women’s team Junior Starlets made history by participating in the 2024 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, held in the Dominican Republic between October 16 and November 2.
Starlets qualified for their maiden FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in June after beating Burundi 2-0 to secure an aggregate 5-0 victory in the final hurdle of their qualifying campaign.
In front of an expectant home crowd at the Ulinzi Complex stadium in Nairobi, teen sensation Marion Serenge opened the scoring in the 17th minute before Valerie Nekesa sealed the win. The win sent the home crowd into wild celebrations, marveling at Kenyan football’s newest conquest. The historic scalp was the icing on the cake following a dominant display in the opening leg at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa where Kenya drubbed Burundi 3-0 to seize the critical advantage.
Following the confirmation of their qualification, preparations spearheaded by former Sports Youth and Culture Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba started in earnest, in a bid to help the fledgling starlets have a successful debut in the competition.
“We don’t want Kenya just to go there and add up the numbers and just participate. We want to go there and put on a good show and compete.
“We want to make Kenya and Africa proud,” Namwamba reckoned.
After a two-week-long residential camp in Kenya, the team jetted out to Spain for high-performance training as the final part of their preparations.
“When the history of Kenyan football is written, your names will be inscribed in gold,” said President Ruto when flagging them off at state in Nairobi in September.
“It has taken us 60 years to get here, and today, you are the trailblazers who made it possible.” He added, urging them to stage a show that will inspire future generations.
In Santiago City, Starlets got a baptism by fire, losing their opening game 2-0 to title favorites England before going down 3-0 to eventual champions Korea DPR in the second game.
Unbowed by their false start, Mildred Cheche’s charges hammered Mexico 2-1 with Valarie Nekesa and Lorna Faith finding the back of the net to check out of the tournament ranked third in Group C, behind Korea DPR and England who finished in number one and two respectively.
Despite an early exit, Kenya’s show in their maiden campaign was a marker of how proper investment and functional structures can elevate local football after decades of slumber.
“Our competitors play in top leagues and also they have good structures which feed the teams something we must also work on as a country if we are to reach their levels,” echoed head coach Cheche, urging the government to install proper supportive mechanisms to propel local football to elite levels.
The youngsters also made the most of the tournament to showcase their talents in a bid to catch the attention of professional sides.
“It means a lot since this is the biggest platform which gave us great exposure hoping to make good deals in the near future.” Reckoned Starlets ace Serenge.
While Starlets’ participation in football’s grandest stage was among the highs of Kenyan football in 2024, the challenge now rests on the government and the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to ensure the legacy continues.
With the tournament being held annually henceforth, Kenya can fancy her chances of becoming a perennial competition, while using the platform to nurture promising prospects and feeding the senior national team with well-baked and seasoned players.
Junior Starlets have advanced directly to the second round of the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers following a draw conducted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) last week in Cairo, Egypt.
They will face the winner of Namibia’s and Uganda’s first-round clash with the second-round matches scheduled for March 7–9, 2025 (first leg) and March 14–16, 2025 (return leg).
By Luqman Mahmoud
