*Undated
The Turkish tactician has been guiding the national team since he succeeded Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee in September.
The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) caretaker committee is set to re-organise Harambee Stars' technical bench after the World Cup qualifier against Rwanda on Monday.
Kenya will host Amavubi behind closed doors as they conclude Group E's qualifying process and the normalisation committee, led by retired judge Aaron Ringera, is set to make changes that would see head coach Engin Firat relieved of his duties. Firat, who has led Kenya in three competitive games; against Mali when they lost 5-0 and 1-0 in the first round and second round of the World Cup qualifiers respectively before a 1-1 draw against Uganda, is serving under a two-month contract.
In a season that promised high hopes for fans when Kenya started off the year with two international friendly wins against South Sudan and Tanzania in March, Stars were looking more likely to achieve their most sought milestone, qualifying for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Additionally, a 1-1 draw against African giants Egypt while playing with 10-men showed how good the team is getting despite missing out in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Kenya vowed to redeem themselves and make the cut in the World Cup Qualifiers. However, five matches into the Group E qualifiers; it is a case of broken promises, shattered dreams to some and utter disappointment to others. This was not meant to happen, but it surely did.
Harambee Stars were expected to make a mark in their long-overdue World Cup sojourn, but in the end, it was tears, disenchantment and bewilderment. Mali are perched top of Group E with an unassailable 13 points and are guaranteed passage to the final round of qualifiers with a game to spare. Uganda are second with nine points followed by Kenya in third place with three points. Rwanda are bottom with one point.
"New things will always come with new demands, and since we are eager to get the train of the national side back on track, it is our wisdom that changes must be made for a better future," a member of the committee revealed. "Remember we have members in the committee who are well versed on matters of soccer. We have John 'Bobby' Ogola, JJ Masiga, Neddy Atieno, and, of course, Titus Kasuve. These are our to go, guys, when we need expert advice on what is best for Harambee Stars, technically."
"Remember the findings of the report (by the Sports Registrar) that found some irregularities in how the hiring of coaches have been done, and we tend to believe such irregularities have massively contributed to the poor performances we have had. We hope to get the best tactician for our team, and although we are serving on a temporary basis, we hope to lay a strong foundation that will guide how future recruitments are done." The member added.
In their report, the inspection team questioned how Nick Mwendwa's FKF has been carrying out the general process of hiring employees. Should the change be done, Kenya is set to have a third new coach in over three years. Francis Kimanzi was appointed in 2019 when Sebastien Migne left the role before the Kenyan tactician departed in 2020.
Mulee was hired and remained at the helm of the national side until September 2021 when Firat was brought on board after the former's resignation.