Harambee Starlets duo of Violet Nanjala and Lorna Nyabuto have candidly reflected on Kenya's disappointing campaign at the 2026 CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), admitting that the team's shortcomings in front of goal and lack of consistency have left the country trailing behind Africa's elite.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe pair spoke after Kenya's 2-0 defeat to Algeria in their final Group A fixture, a result that confirmed Starlets' elimination from the continental showpiece in Morocco.It marked Kenya's third consecutive defeat at the tournament, with Beldine Odemba's charges finishing bottom of Group A following earlier losses to hosts Morocco (4-0) and Senegal (1-0). Partizan give up on Ouma in a surprising twistThis year's campaign mirrored Kenya's maiden WAFCON appearance in 2016, when they also bowed out at the group stage hurdle without registering a single victory. In what was Starlets' second appearance in the championship, once again, Kenya left the tournament searching for answers after another winless outing on the continental stage.Reflecting on the campaign, experienced midfielder Violet Nanjala said the tournament exposed the significant gap between Kenya and Africa's top women's football nations, insisting that sustained development and consistency in player selection are crucial if the team is to compete at the highest level.##NAJAVA_MECA_9878591##"We are too far in terms of football standards to be at the level of the teams here like Morocco and Algeria. In our group, they are way above us in terms of quality and development. We need to work hard and maintain consistency because football-wise we are still below them," Nanjala said.She pointed to the continuity enjoyed by Kenya's opponents, arguing that stable team structures have played a major role in their progress."We have a problem where today you're in the team, and tomorrow you're out. That lack of consistency has affected us for a long time. If you look at a team like Algeria, they have players who have stayed together for many years. Kenyans express displeasure over Harambee Starlets' poor WAFCON performanceThey have maintained continuity, and that is something we really need in our national team."Her sentiments echoed the frustrations that defined the Starlets' campaign, where Kenya competed well in phases of play and created promising attacking opportunities but repeatedly failed to capitalise when it mattered most.Kenya Police Bullets FC forward Lorna Nyabuto admitted the players must shoulder responsibility for the missed chances that ultimately cost the team.##NAJAVA_MECA_9878705##Starlets fashioned several clear opportunities against Morocco, Senegal and Algeria but failed to convert any of them, with poor finishing emerging as the team's biggest weakness throughout the tournament."We take the blame and responsibility for not utilising our chances. We need to work harder, make better use of the opportunities we create and learn how to score because we made a lot of chances but failed to convert them," Nyabuto said.Despite the disappointing outcome, the forward believes the experience should serve as a valuable lesson rather than a setback.10-man Gor Mahia 90 minutes away from quenching 41-year CECAFA Kagame Cup drought"We are still below the required standards, but this is a good platform for us to learn, improve and work hard so that we can reach that level."The duo's assessment echoed sentiments previously expressed by head coach Beldine Odemba, who consistently identified poor finishing as Kenya's biggest undoing throughout the tournament. While Starlets displayed encouraging passages of play against three formidable opponents, their inability to convert chances proved costly against more clinical sides, ultimately condemning them to another group-stage exit.