Michael Olunga’s career focus is not on headlines or history books, at least not right now. As the Harambee Stars captain edges to within two goals of William Chege Ouma’s all-time national record of 35, he insists that the chase will not distract him from the job at hand, two away assignments against Burundi on October 9 and Ivory Coast on October 14 that will close Kenya’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Record within reach but not the point
Olunga is sitting on 34 international goals, level with Dennis Oliech after a brace against Seychelles on September 9, which leaves him one shy of the long-standing mark set by Chege Ouma. The striker is honest about the milestone, yet he keeps circling back to the team, a reminder that the number beside his name is a byproduct of collective work and not a personal obsession.
Speaking at Police Sacco Stadium, he framed the moment with clarity, rejecting any notion that the record has taken over his thoughts. “The most important thing for me is to work hard and help the team in whichever way possible, it’s not so much in my mind.” For him, the pursuit is about process, not pressure, a stance that often separates sustained leaders from short-lived stars.
Pressed on what it would mean to become the national team’s new leading scorer, the captain acknowledged the significance while keeping his compass set. He said it is a good achievement that any player would aspire to, and added that there is still hard work ahead, a testament to a player who knows titles and tags are earned one day at a time. All-time top scorer may happen, but it does not define his next touch or his next sprint.
Why the remaining qualifiers still matter
Kenya’s last two matches in Group F are dead rubbers, the mathematics already settled. Yet Olunga views them as valuable tests, a chance to stress the system away from home, to give the coach more data points on squad depth, and to build habits that carry into the next cycle. It is the long game, and the captain is embracing it.
He spoke of finishing strong and of the opportunity to rebuild rhythm and resilience. That outlook mirrors coach Benni McCarthy’s broader project, which is focused on sharpening the group with a view to AFCON 2027. AFCON 2027 is the horizon, and these fixtures are stepping stones, not footnotes.
Belief on the road and the Ivory Coast benchmark
Olunga is under no illusions about the challenge of playing away, particularly against the African champions, Ivory Coast. He pointed to the goalless draw in June 2024 as proof that the Harambee Stars can stand their ground, a credible result that frames Abidjan as an opportunity rather than a foregone conclusion.
“They are the African champions and in the first game we took a point,” he said, lauding the team’s performance in that draw. “The team played quite well so it is another opportunity to go and face them in their own backyard.”
The captain also acknowledged Kenya’s difficult history in West Africa, including a 4-1 defeat to Cameroon in October 2024, but he believes the mood around the national team has shifted under McCarthy.
“With the new wave in the national team, we hope we can perform better in away matches,”
he added. That confidence will be tested first against Burundi, then in Abidjan, where a positive result would ripple beyond the final table. Away record narratives can only change on the field, and there is no better place to start.
Fitness watch and leadership load
There is a practical subplot to the week. Benni McCarthy confirmed that three players, including Olunga, reported to camp injured, and the captain will need to pass a late fitness test. The balancing act is delicate, the desire to contribute set against the responsibility to manage the body for the bigger rebuild.
If cleared, Olunga’s role will, as always, stretch beyond goals. He has spoken about helping the team in whatever capacity, whether pressing from the front, dropping into pockets to connect play, or organizing from the top. That full-spectrum contribution is part of why his presence steadies the group, especially in unfamiliar environments like an AstroTurf surface away in Burundi that he singled out as a unique challenge to navigate. Late fitness test permitting, he remains the tone-setter.
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Two lessons from a campaign that fell short
Kenya sit fifth in Group F on six points and the wait for a maiden World Cup appearance will stretch to at least 2030. Olunga’s reflection on why the bid faded is as instructive as it is candid, focusing on issues that are fixable if addressed with intent.
- Infrastructure and momentum, the team did not start well and stadium compliance issues meant early qualifiers were played away from home before returning to Nyayo and Kasarani later,
- Starting stronger and taking every home game as a must-maximize moment, early preparation and stable logistics must set the tone for every competition.
Those observations go beyond a single match. They speak to the conditions that nurture belief, the kind that travels, and to the importance of routine, from the pitch quality to the noise in the stands, the details that separate near misses from breakthroughs. Home advantage only matters when it is available and organized, and Kenya paid for those lapses early in the campaign.
The record that can wait
There is a symmetry to Olunga’s journey that makes this moment compelling. A decade on from his Harambee Stars debut as a Gor Mahia player, he stands on the threshold of a record that has stood for nearly half a century. He could be one finishing touch away from Chege Ouma, yet he chooses to talk about work, about the next training session, and about the next teammate who needs a word or a pass.
His club exploits underscore that this is not a player defined by a single spike of form. He carved his name into Al Duhail’s history books as their all-time top scorer with 130 goals, and he currently leads the line for Al Arabi. When he says there is more work to do, he is not deflecting, he is drawing on experience built over years of scoring in different leagues and conditions. Consistency is his currency, not the chase.
Why Burundi then Ivory Coast can sharpen the edges
Burundi present a test of adaptability, including the surface that Olunga highlighted as a particular challenge. The task is to compress space, manage transitions, and be clinical when moments arrive. Kenya’s growth target is not just a result, but the quality of their habits under pressure.
Ivory Coast are the measuring stick. The June 2024 draw showed Kenya can survive their surges and engineer spells of control, and now the question is whether they can add final-third efficiency to that platform. If the captain is fit enough to feature, his penalty-box timing and set-piece gravity can tilt the balance in a match where margins are thin. Small details will decide whether a point becomes three.
Leadership in word and deed
Olunga’s words carry weight because they align with the way he plays. There is no grandstanding in his media lines, just a constant return to team needs and to the craft. That is why his teammates look to him when stakes rise and why a nation listens when he speaks about what must change to move forward.
The captain’s insistence on finishing strong, even when the table is set, is not rhetoric, it is culture building. Players feel that standard in the way training sessions are run, in travel routines, and in the expectation that every cap adds something to the shared project. Standards are the legacy he is trying to cement, more than any single goal.
The big picture for Kenya
World Cup qualification is gone, yet these matches can seed the next phase. McCarthy has a chance to stretch the depth chart, to evaluate combinations, and to normalize tough away assignments. The calendar now tilts toward the co-hosted AFCON in 2027, and every repetition between now and then can either harden or soften the group.
In that context, a record-breaking goal would be a moment to celebrate, but the deeper win is a team that knows how to travel, absorb pressure, and execute. That is the story Olunga keeps telling, in his words and in his choices. Process over prize is his repeatable refrain.
What comes next
Kenya face Burundi on Thursday in Bujumbura, then travel to Ivory Coast for a high-profile closer on October 14 in Abidjan. Both are away, both are demanding, and both are opportunities for a team that wants to rewrite its road narrative under McCarthy.
Somewhere within those ninety-minute frames, the record may fall. Or it may wait a little longer. Either way, the captain has already decided what matters most, and it looks a lot like a blueprint, grounded in lessons learned, built on accountability, and pointed toward a future the Harambee Stars want to claim together. Team first is the lane, and the numbers will look after themselves.
