Harambee Stars players have boycotted training ahead of Saturday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Eritrea with unpaid allowances and welfare demands taking centre stage in the row. The players reported to the team’s Nairobi camp but refused to train as they called for the unpaid allowances to be cleared and raised alarms over accommodation and travel provisions. Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Head of Projects and National Teams Athanus Obango said the players were pressing for Ksh80,000 each as allowances for Kenya’s previous games against Senegal and Lesotho.

“The issue is that the Senegal allowance is long overdue and they also want the allowance for the Lesotho game. That per player is around Sh80,000,” Obango said, as reported by Nation Sport.

Obango said the responsibility for settling the allowances lies with the government and not the FKF.

“The responsibility of paying the allowances of the players lies with the government and not FKF and we hope things will be sorted out,” he said.

The row has raised concerns from Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy who said some players have travelled in various camps without receiving the promised payments.

“For four to five camps, not receiving a cent of what was promised, of course as a human being you will be like, is it worth it? Is it okay for the national team?” McCarthy said. “The Ministry, the President, the FKF should intervene before it gets worse,”

File image of President William Ruto and Harambee Stars players.The players have also raised questions over the standards of hotels used for national team camps as they called for upgrades in line with their expectations while representing the country. They are reportedly unhappy with the current standard of hotels used during home and away games. The players have also raised concerns over flight tickets as they claimed they are sometimes forced to take budget options with long layovers despite available short-haul alternatives. The complaints are part of the broader welfare issues raised by the Harambee Stars players.

The boycott comes as Kenya prepares to host Eritrea in its opening Group D game of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers on Saturday, September 26. The Eritrean squad arrived in Kenya on Tuesday as they start preparations for the game. Kenya will then host Guinea in Conakry on October 1. Kenya is already qualified for the 2027 AFCON finals as one of the three co-hosts together with Uganda and Tanzania. However, they are participating in the qualifiers as they gear up for the tournament. The 2027 AFCON tournament will be held from January 7 to February 4, 2027. The FKF and government will have to solve the current row as the players have thrown a spanner in the works for the Eritrea match.