Kenya’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 U20 Africa Cup of Nations ended in disappointment after Rising Stars were eliminated from the CECAFA qualifiers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, without winning a single match.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsKenya drew 1-1 with South Sudan on Saturday in their second and final Group C match, having opened their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Burundi. The two results left Kenya with one point from two matches, and only one goal scored.The elimination came after expectations had been raised by the previous U20 cohort, who qualified for the 2025 AFCON in Egypt after reaching the final of the 2024 CECAFA U20 qualifiers.Anthony Akumu on resisting Ksh500k to fix Harambee Stars game while earning Ksh10k at Gor MahiaThat team went on to compete at the continental tournament, earning a point from a 2-2 draw against Nigeria after defeats by Morocco and Tunisia.However, the bulk of that squad was no longer available to Selebwa for the current qualifying campaign, with several players moving into the U23 age group.“A lot was expected from us, I know that, but if you look at the way we have picked the players, almost 90% of the ones who played in the U20 AFCON weren't here; they have moved to the U23s,” Selebwa said after Kenya’s elimination.##NAJAVA_MECA_9968579##The coach had assembled a fresh squad made up of players from local clubs, schools and foreign academies. Seven players were promoted from last year’s U17 side, while the squad also included five players based abroad.The lack of continuity was compounded by Kenya entering the tournament without a competitive match under Selebwa, while Burundi had already played and beaten South Sudan 4-0 before facing the Rising Stars.Burundi subsequently defeated Kenya 2-0, with Amini Nshimirimana scoring in each half.Patrick Matasi recalls tough six months waiting to make AFC Leopards debutSelebwa acknowledged after the defeat that Burundi had been sharper, having already played a competitive fixture.“This was my first game in charge of this team after assembling the squad. There are weaknesses that we will need to work on,” he said.The defeat left Kenya needing a victory against South Sudan to keep its semi-final hopes alive. The Rising Stars were unable to secure a win, settling for a 1-1 draw and bringing their campaign to an early end.##NAJAVA_MECA_9968559##The format meant the three group winners and the best second-placed team would advance to the semi-finals, with the two finalists earning the CECAFA region’s tickets to the 2027 U20 AFCON.Burundi had already secured the top position in Group C after beating both South Sudan and Kenya.For Selebwa, the results have also highlighted a wider issue in the progression of young Kenyan players.Motsepe reveals when CAF will step in to mediate FKF leadership wranglesHe called for a more consistent pathway between the national youth teams, allowing players to progress from the U15 level through U17 and U20 rather than having each generation assembled largely as a separate group.“Can we have a conveyor belt where we can have players progress from U15, U17 and then to U20? That is where we are lacking at this particular point, and we'll press the big shots at FKF to have that,” he said.Selebwa also called for greater attention to coaching at grassroots level, saying improved coaching at the formative stages could change the quality of players reaching the national youth teams.##NAJAVA_MECA_9968596##“There will be a paradigm shift in youth coaching,” he said.Despite the elimination, Selebwa pointed to the development potential within the squad. Most of the players, he noted, are still in school and have another stage of development ahead of them.“Most of them are school kids; they've given a very good account of themselves, and it's a question of harnessing the potential they have as they move on to the next stage,” he said.Kenya's U20 Africa Cup of Nations hopes extinguished after winless qualifier campaignHe also identified the performance against Burundi as one of the positives despite the 2-0 defeat, pointing to an improvement in the team's display by the time of their final match.“Big positive. The display between us and Burundi, who were a more organised team; if you look at the way we have exercised ourselves on the pitch today, it is something that is totally different,” Selebwa said.Kenya's campaign therefore ends with one point, one goal scored and elimination at the group stage.##NAJAVA_MECA_9968602##For the players, attention now shifts back to their clubs, schools and academies, while Selebwa and FKF are left to assess how the next generation can be developed and integrated before the next U20 qualification cycle.
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