Following underwhelming performances at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), which saw Harambee Starlets suffer a group stage exit, Kenyans have taken to social media to express their frustrations and displeasure.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe Kenya senior women's football team returned to the continental tourney after a decade in the cold, and while many Kenyans had placed high hopes on the team, the performance was nothing to write home about.Kenya was in Group A alongside hosts Morocco, Algeria and Senegal in what was termed as the 'group of death'.Kahawa Pride expand footprint with launch of satellite team in Kakuma Refugee CampThe Beldine Odemba-coached side suffered a 4-0 rout against Morocco in their opening match before narrowly losing 1-0 to Senegal and completing their journey with a 2-0 loss to Algeria.Kenyans, who had already expressed concerns heading into the tournament, grew more vocal after the national team's early exit.Women's football enthusiast Rebecca Achieng took fault with Odemba’s squad selection.##NAJAVA_MECA_9878538##“The coach is totally to blame for that disappointing show at WAFCON. The first problem was leaving out our best and experienced players for reasons well known to her.She then went ahead to do poor fielding of the players she took to Morocco. We all know Dogo (Mwanalima Adam) is not a defensive midfielder. Deploying her in that role not only exposed our defensive inabilities but also had us miss out on her creative role in an advanced role,” said Achieng.Homeboyz add creativity to midfield with capture of former Kariobangi Sharks youngsterIn the infamous KPL Chat on Facebook, football promoter Mosh Junior equally took issue with Odemba’s selection.“We left WAFCON without scoring a single goal. Yet one of the most prolific strikers in East Africa is Kenyan. How do you explain that the top scorer for Simba Queens last season, a player who consistently found the back of the net 21 times, is Kenyan, but we couldn't score even once at WAFCON? ##NAJAVA_MECA_9878441##The problem isn't a lack of talent. It's about how we select and utilise that talent. Kenyan football deserves honest conversations, not excuses,” posted Junior.For Nancy Wambui, the performance was as embarrassing as Kenya’s decade-long absence from the tournament.“We could not just wait for 10 years to register such a poor performance in the tournament. Instead of improving, we were worse a decade later.KSSSA: Former champions Highway silence Yala but Menengai dash semi-final hopesEveryone knows that neither the squad selection nor the preparations leading to the tournament were befitting the standard of the tournament.Unfortunately, at that top level, such inadequacies are always punished. We got what we deserved, but that was totally embarrassing for a nation of over 55 million citizens,” Wambui told Mozzart Sport.Seasoned sports journalist Rodgers Eshitemi also took time to weigh in on the problems that befell the Harambee Starlets.##NAJAVA_MECA_9878430##“One key thing from Harambee Starlets' performance at WAFCON in Morocco is that there is no shortcut to success in football. You must invest in the game, build structures, instil professionalism, embrace science/technology and prepare well. Without that, don't expect manna to come from heaven. If we continue with the same casual modus operandi in all national teams, the results will be the same after a few moments of lady luck,” said Sports journalist Rodgers Eshitemi.On the Harambee Starlets Facebook page, Steve Wonder delved deeper into the dismal performance by the team.Gor Mahia captain Owino laments poor preparation after fresh injury blow“This team simply was not creative, swift, flexible or tactical enough. Our play was flat and predictable. Teams at this level read us easily because there was no variation in how we built attacks.The passing accuracy also has to improve. Too many promising moves broke down not because of pressure, but because of simple misplaced passes. And while there is no shortage of players who can strike the ball hard, power alone does not unlock a well-drilled defense, precision does.That's why I believe this moment calls for a serious, honest overhaul, not just cosmetic changes; we should think about having a male head coach now. Maintaining the status quo after three winless matches at WAFCON would be a missed opportunity to learn from this campaign,” remarked Wonder.##NAJAVA_MECA_9878469##In the end, Faith Nyaboke opined that the team was not just ready for the big stage.“We may have to agree that Kenya is not yet ripe for the continental stage. Not when we have poor preparations and questionable squad selection that works against us before we face any opponent.”
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