Harambee Stars: Inside the Affordable Homes President Ruto Promised as Players Signal Readiness to Commit

Abud Omar, Mike Kibwage and Sylvester Owino are among the Harambee Stars players who recently visited the Starehe Affordable Housing Project to check on the progress of the homes President William Ruto promised them.

The promise was made in recognition of their impressive performance during the 2024 Africa Nations Championships (CHAN), where the team exceeded all expectations.

President William Ruto became a prominent supporter of the team during the CHAN tournament, offering significant financial incentives.

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He pledged KSh 1 million to each player for every win and KSh 500,000 for every draw in the group stage. For their final group match against Zambia, the incentive was increased to KSh 2.5 million each. In total, each player reportedly received KSh 5 million.

In addition to the cash bonuses, the players were also offered housing units in the government's flagship affordable housing project through a cost-sharing arrangement.

On Thursday, players and technical staff were given a tour of the Starehe project by Sales Manager Hawa Shafi. Some of the units, scheduled for completion in December, are already fully furnished, giving the team a glimpse of their future homes.

"The president changed our lives during CHAN. We are very happy, and we have talked to people who are responsible for the project. We are ready to deposit our part of the deal. The boys are ready and very happy with this project," said team captain Abud Omar.

"It is a good project for the players and all the staff. We have talked to almost all the players, and they like this project. The players have decided this is a project they want to invest in, and they want the President to support them. It is now just a matter of allocation and paperwork," added team manager Nick Kimanthi.

Under the guidance of coach Benni McCarthy, Kenya delivered a stellar performance at CHAN 2024, finishing top of a challenging group that included continental giants Morocco and DR Congo.

The campaign began with a 1-0 victory over DR Congo. They followed this with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Angola, a match where they played with only 10 men for a significant portion of the game.

Perhaps their most notable achievement was a 1-0 win against eventual champions Morocco, where they again played for over a half with a numerical disadvantage after Chrispine Erambo was sent off. This victory secured their top spot in Group A.

Despite their heroic group stage run, Harambee Stars' journey ended in the quarter-finals after a heartbreaking loss to Madagascar in a penalty shootout.