Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat resigns

Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat (pictured) has resigned. [File, Standard]

Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has resigned from his position, terminating his contract with the Football Kenya Federation (FKF).

Firat’s decision comes shortly after Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen urged the FKF leadership to sever ties with the Turkish coach, stating that the government would no longer fund his salary.

The resignation also follows Kenya’s recent failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament, scheduled to be held in Morocco.

Firat’s tenure with Harambee Stars has been far from stellar. Over 23 matches, he has managed just seven wins, seven draws, and nine losses—a win rate of barely 30%.

More damning is the fact that only three of these victories came in competitive tournaments, all against lowly-ranked opponents: Seychelles (5-0), Namibia (2-1), and Rwanda (2-1).

When former FKF President Nick Mwendwa unveiled him in 2021, he painted a picture of a seasoned tactician ready to propel Kenya to greatness.

Mwendwa who was voted out and replaced by Hussein Mohammed lauded him as the man to guide Kenya to the World Cup, describing him as a "top coach" who had the experience to handle the team.

However, Firat’s previous stint with Moldova, where he failed to win a single match across 11 games, should have raised red flags.

This uninspiring record begs the question: why was Firat appointed in the first place?

In his three years in charge, Firat has now overseen three failed campaigns for major tournaments: the 2022 Fifa World Cup, the 2023 Afcon (albeit under the shadow of a FIFA ban), and now the 2025 AFCON.