FKF Boss Pledges 3 Structural Reforms to Kenya's Youth Set Up After Junior Stars' AFCON U17 Qualifying Setback

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Hussein Mohammed has committed to revitalizing the nation's youth development structures after the Junior Stars failed to qualify for the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.

The team's hopes were dashed on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, following a 3-0 defeat to hosts Ethiopia in the CECAFA U-17 qualifiers' third-place playoff in Addis Ababa. The match at Abebe Bikila Stadium was a high-stakes decider for the final qualification spot available to the region.

With Uganda and Tanzania having already secured their places by reaching the tournament final, Kenya and Ethiopia were left to battle for the last remaining ticket. However, the Kenyan side was unable to bounce back from their semi-final loss and ultimately left the competition without securing a spot.

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Kenya entered the crucial playoff match still reeling from a 3-1 semi-final defeat to Tanzania. Ethiopia was also looking for redemption after a 3-0 loss to Uganda in their own semi-final clash.

In the wake of the loss, the FKF president vowed that the federation would return to the drawing board to address the shortcomings in youth football development across the country.

"Disappointing outcome for the Junior Stars today, losing 3–0 to Ethiopia. But we take this as a lesson and a motivation," Mohammed stated on X. "We must build firmer youth systems, deepen development programmes, and plan more deliberately for the long term. The boys gave their all, and we will give ours in creating an environment that sets them up for success."

During their campaign, the Junior Stars started with a 1-1 draw against Somalia before mounting a comeback to defeat Rwanda 2-1 and securing a 2-0 victory over South Sudan. Despite a 1-0 loss to Ethiopia in the group stage, they advanced to the semi-finals with seven points.

The Junior Stars squad was composed of promising young talents scouted from school teams and regional training camps, many of whom showed significant potential throughout the tournament.

Kenya’s Junior Stars got off to a shaky start with a 1–1 draw against Somalia U17, but then bounced back impressively by defeating Rwanda U17 2–1 and South Sudan U17 2–0, securing a spot in the semi-finals despite a 1–0 loss to hosts Ethiopia U17 in their final group match.

However, Junior Stars’ hopes ended in the knockout phase. They were beaten 3–1 by Tanzania U17 in the semi-final — a match in which they had an early penalty opportunity but failed to convert, and subsequently conceded two early goals before pulling one back late.

In the third-place playoff, facing Ethiopia once more, they suffered a 3–0 defeat at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa — a result that dashed their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 U17 AFCON.