Harambee Starlets players on Wednesday staged a protest at the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Goal Project offices, demanding payment of their outstanding allowances before travelling to France for their final training camp ahead of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The players reportedly refused to leave until they received clear assurances that the money owed to them would be paid.
The protest comes just hours before the national women’s team is scheduled to depart for Miramas, France, where they will hold their final preparations before heading to Morocco for WAFCON.
The allowance dispute had already been flagged by head coach Beldine Odemba last week. She revealed that the players were yet to receive allowances from the FIFA Women’s Series matches played in Zambia in June.
“We are heading to the biggest tournament in Africa, but the girls have yet to receive their allowances for the past two matches. They need something to motivate them,” Odemba said.
The delay now threatens to disrupt Kenya’s preparations for the continental showpiece, with the team expected to spend the next few days fine tuning for the tournament.
The Starlets booked their place at this year’s WAFCON after eliminating The Gambia in the final qualification round, marking Kenya’s return to the tournament for the first time since 2016.
By the time of publication, FKF had not issued an official statement on the players’ protest or indicated when the outstanding allowances would be paid.