‘Wacha Kieleweke’ - President Ruto Issues Rallying Call to Harambee Starlets Ahead of Australia Clash

President William Ruto has called on Kenyans to rally behind Harambee Starlets as they face Australia in the FIFA Series final at Nyayo Stadium on Wednesday.

Kenya take on Australia on Wednesday afternoon (5.30pm) looking to pull an upset against the highly-fancied Matildas, who are one of the world’s top-ranked teams.

Beldine Odemba’s charges are motivated by the fact that they will be playing at home, added to their 2-0 win over India on Saturday but Australia, who possess some of the globe’s top players, will feel confident after brushing aside Malawi with a 5-0 win also last weekend.

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With a trophy at stake, both teams will put their best foot forward and the President wants Kenyans to turn up in large numbers to offer the team more motivation as they look to win at home.

“Harambee Starlets, we are behind you as you take on Australia today. Put your best foot forward and know the whole nation depends on you. To Kenyans, Starlets are full of umph. Let the battle begin,” said Ruto in his message.

Kenya, ranked 134th in the world, have their work cut out against an Australian team ranked 15th and who are regulars at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“It’s been good for us in terms of this series, because we don't know a lot about the African teams,” Australia coach Joe Montemurro said in his pre-match interview.

“We don't know a lot about them, but we have come here with the utmost respect, and to worry about how we can make sure we play our football and keep our standards very high.

“We’re in a cycle now of preparing for the World Cup. This series has been invaluable for us, both as a team and as a coaching staff in terms of preparation.”

Given Australia’s pedigree and quality, Kenya could employ a more defensives tactic aimed at minimizing damage and catching the Matildas on the counter but Montemurro is ready for any gameplan.

“If Kenya's approach is to be very compact and very deep, that's a great challenge for us. We need to find ways to unlock those situations through our solutions and through our football,” he added.

“The most important thing is that we need to worry about ourselves, and if a team does defend in low blocks, well, then we have to find the solutions. All these scenarios, all this knowledge that we gain in these games is going to be important for us, because it's simulating real situations.”

Starlets are also using the mini-tournament as part of their build-up towards the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations set to be staged in Morocco from July 25 to August 18.