Kenya pulls out of African Women’s Cup of Nations

Kenya withdrew their national women’s squad from this month’s African Women Cup of Nations qualifiers against Uganda on Wednesday after the Confederation of African Football refused to reinstate the team (CAF).

After the sport’s governing body in Kenya, the FKF, withdrew the squad in January, the government-sponsored caretaker committee appealed to the continent’s football organisation to enable the Harambee Starlets to play the last round qualifier against the Uganda Crested Cranes in Kampala on February 17.

Kenyan sports minister Amina Mohammed stated last month that the team’s abrupt withdrawal from the competition was due to a “suspected fraud,” since no such request had been authorized by the government.

But on Wednesday, the committee chairman Justice Aaron Ringera said officials had “exhausted all avenues” to find a solution that would allow the team to participate in the qualifiers.

“We are now left with no other option than to disband the camp and allow the girls to go back home,” Ringera told a news conference.

“Harambee Starlets will not play in the AWCON qualifiers.”

As a result, the Uganda Crested Cranes will now automatically qualify for the finals to be held in Morocco in August.

In November, Mohamed abolished the FKF due to suspicions of corruption and named a caretaker committee to administer the sport in Kenya for six months.

The suspended leader of the FKF was later charged with corruption, accused of stealing millions of Kenyan shillings.

Kenyan football has long been troubled by financial problems, which are typically the result of bad administration and corruption, while Kenya’s men’s national team has struggled to shine on the field.