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The veteran forward has been in the international cold for over one year but she is still confident of making a sensational return to the Harambee Starlets squad.
Veteran Harambee Starlets striker Esse Akida has not given up on a return to the national team, having last featured over one year ago.
Akida has had to watch from the sidelines as Harambee Starlets do the business, especially in the final round of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in 2023, and this year as well as they have started their journey to the 2026 tournament.
One of the reasons is that Akida is still without a club, having left Greek side PAOK at the expiry of her contract in June 2024, although she has says offers have come her way but she is taking her time before she picks the right club.
“I am very much open to playing for the national team if called upon,” the 32-year-old, who has been and out of the Starlets fold told Telecomasia.net.
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09:35 - 08.03.2025
Benni McCarthy makes South African-based defender his first Harambee Stars call-up
New Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has handed a lifeline to the South African-based defender after including him in his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
“I am still an active player and it is just that I am yet to pick my next team but I am very much available. I haven’t even thought about retirement. I am still working on getting a new team and I have been doing my best to keep fit as I wait for the best opportunity.”
Akida has high standards that she wants maintained and it is perhaps why she is in no hurry to select her next club.
“I’ve had several offers, but I’m taking my time to pick the right one for my future. If I just wanted to jump at any option, I’d already be playing. But I have goals, dreams, and ambitions, and I want my next club to align with that. It’s just a matter of time before I make my next move.”
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However, even if she gets a new club, there are still no guarantees that Akida will make a sensational return to the national team given the events leading up to and after her exclusion last time out.
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05:35 - 06.03.2025
10 Best paid Africa national team coaches: Where does Kenya’s Benni McCarthy rank?
Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy has joined the list of highest paid Africa national team coaches but he still does not compare to many others on the continent.
Akida has stayed mum over what led to her surprising omission from the squad that faced Botswana in the final round of the WAFCON 2024 qualifiers in November 2023, having been part of the team that eliminated Cameroon in the first round.
Her exclusion saw the Kilifi county government slam coach Belidine Odemba for not respecting “one of the standout players in Greece” and it is still not known if there has been a mending of fences.
A highly experienced and lethal striker, the former Spedag and Thika Queens forward made her Harambee Starlets debut in 2012 and was part of the team that made history when they qualified for WAFCON for the first time in 2016.
She would, however, not be involved for a number of years before she returned for the matches against Cameroon in 2023 after which she was dropped again and she has not been back since.
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19:00 - 06.03.2025
FIFA rankings: Harambee Starlets biggest climbers in the world thanks to win over Tunisia
Harambee Starlets have moved up seven places in the latest FIFA rankings thanks to their impressive results against Tunisia in the WAFCON qualifiers.
The Kilifi native has, however, used her time out to good effect, getting involved in several talent development initiatives in her home county and the country, and her return to the national team would not only boost the attack but also add extra experience given she has also played in Israel and Turkey.
Starlets are still basking in the glory of their 1-0 aggregate win over Tunisia in the 2026 WAFCON qualifiers first round, which boosted their FIFA rankings by seven places to position 149 in the world, the biggest gainers globally, and now have the Gambia lying in wait, a match they have to win to return to the continental tournament.
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