Harambee Starlets new head coach Alex Alumirah took charge of his first training session, leading the girls in their preparation of the 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations (Awcon) on January 27, at Moi International Sports Centre.
Alumirah asked the government to change the narrative around women's football urging them to start caring for the ladies by increasing the number of awards, salaries and sponsorship deals.
"Those who are playing in our local league get undermined as what they earn is little, and the most one can make after a match is Ksh1,000.
“That is why when they get a chance to leave the country they rush for lucrative deals which offer them a good life and salary,” Alex Alumirah noted.
The coach was also keen to point out that the ladies matches should be given more airtime to boost women's football.
“There is one thing that needs to be done, if you look at the Tanzanian Leagues many of their players attract interest from European clubs.
“If the matches are aired live, the players get a chance to showcase themselves to many scouts around the world. As long as there is no platform for airing the women's matches, it makes it difficult for other clubs to spot the talents in the country.
Alumirah noted that Vihiga Queens players attract interest from foreign clubs as a result of their matches being aired live.
Harambee Starlets will be in camp for the next two weeks as they fine-tune for the first and second-leg matches with Uganda in February in Kampala and Nairobi respectively.
The winner of the two-leg contest between the two East African neighbours will book a spot for themselves in the AWCON that runs from July 2 to July 23 in Morocco.
Their preparation was, however, marred by controversies surrounding the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) caretaker team.
Communication from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) addressed to the Federation of Uganda Football Associations FUFA stated that Kenya had withdrawn from the Qualifiers. This was after a Kenyan official wrote to CAF seeking the withdrawal of the Kenyan team.
Sports Cabinet Secretary, Amina Mohamed refuted the reports and warned that the perpetrator will face the full wrath of the law.
"We have learnt that there is a suspected fraudulent letter that was purportedly written to CAF to withdraw our heroines, Harambee Starlets, from the Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifier against Uganda.
"The Ministry is doing everything possible to contact the relevant authorities at CAF and the world football body, FIFA. Harambee Starlets will continue with their preparations as we seek to correct this misrepresentation," Amina stated.