NAIROBI, Kenya – Harambee Starlets’ planned trip to France was thrown into uncertainty on Wednesday after players staged a protest over unpaid allowances, threatening to boycott both the training camp and the upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The players remained at the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) offices, insisting they would not board their scheduled flight until all outstanding payments were made.
Sources familiar with the situation said the team’s flight to France was scheduled to depart at 5:30 p.m., raising fears the standoff could derail the team’s final preparations for the continental tournament.
Videos circulating online showed the players singing, dancing and chanting outside the federation’s offices as they demanded payment.
“No money, no France, no money, no WAFCON,” they chanted as they surrounded the offices.
The France trip is part of Kenya’s preparations for the WAFCON finals in Morocco, where the Starlets are expected to fine-tune their squad before the tournament kicks off on July 25.
The protest came barely hours after President William Ruto assured the team that all pending government allowances had been cleared during a State House meeting.
According to the President, Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangangi had authorised the release of more than Sh33 million to settle outstanding payments owed to Kenya’s national teams.
“I have been briefed by the PS that all the allowances have been paid, and we have made sure that whatever it is that is part of the government has been done because he tells me he has already paid out Ksh33 million to make sure that all of us are going in the right direction,” Ruto stated during the meeting.
The Ministry of Sports had outstanding allowances owed to Harambee Stars, Harambee Starlets, the Junior Starlets and the national futsal team, but the President maintained the payments had been completed.
The latest protest has renewed concerns over player welfare and the management of national teams, despite the government’s assurances and the team’s high-profile send-off.
By the time of publication, neither the Ministry of Sports nor FKF had responded to the players’ claims of unpaid allowances.