Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy says his South African heritage will not get in the way of his duty to Kenya when the two sides meet in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.Kenya were drawn against South Africa, Guinea and Eritrea in the qualifying group for the tournament, which Kenya will co-host alongside Uganda and Tanzania.##NAJAVA_MECA_9981513##Although Kenya have already booked their place at AFCON 2027 as co-hosts, the team will still participate in the qualifiers, with one qualification place available to the other three nations in the group.McCarthy will begin his campaign with Harambee Stars on Saturday when Kenya host Eritrea at Nyayo Stadium, before travelling to Guinea on 1 October. The South African tactician will face his country of birth twice in November, when Kenya take on Bafana Bafana home and away.End in sight as Kariobangi Sharks, Mombasa United reach playoff breakthroughWith the fixtures set to pit McCarthy against the country where he was born and raised, the coach says his focus will remain entirely on Kenya."For me, being born in South Africa, a beautiful country, a lot of love, and it will always have that. But I'm coaching Kenya, so there's no it's my country, unfortunately,”McCarthy said Kenya's decision to allow him to lead the national team has shaped where his professional loyalty lies.“My country didn't employ me, so why is my loyalty not with the country I was born in? My loyalty is to the team that believed in me, gave me the opportunity, and thought I could help them move forward in the right direction. That's where my loyalty lies."McCarthy defends inclusion of suspended Gor Mahia duo in Harambee StarsThe former Bafana Bafana forward expects a tough contest against South Africa, whom he believes have traditionally been regarded as one of the continent's stronger sides.“It’s gonna be difficult because South Africa has always been seen as a class A category, they are always in the pot with Morocco, Senegal, so they get the good draws, teams like Kenya in the lower end, so that will be very difficult,” he added.Before the South Africa fixtures, McCarthy's immediate task is to guide Harambee Stars past Eritrea in their opening qualifier at Nyayo Stadium.The match is scheduled to kick off at 4 pm on Saturday.McCarthy presses FKF to resolve issues affecting him and his assistants