There are moments when a tournament becomes more than fixtures and scorelines, and this month in Nairobi felt exactly that. At the heart of it all was Victor Wanyama and CHAN 2024, a pairing that crystallized the pride, pain, and potential of Kenyan football. As the former Harambee Stars captain toured studios with the gleaming trophy and spoke with rare clarity, he turned a quarterfinal exit into a manifesto for what comes next.
The crowd that changed the conversation
Wanyama’s first instinct was to salute the supporters. From the opening whistle, Kenyans poured into stadiums, creating an atmosphere that players rode like a tailwind. Matchday tickets were snapped up days in advance, and even when CAF instituted reduced capacities late in the tournament, the stands remained full of color and noise. Against Zambia, a 60 percent cap meant only 27,000 seats were available, and supporters nearly filled every one of them. The last two Harambee Stars fixtures were subject to 60 and 80 percent caps, yet the sell-out crowds story barely wavered.
Wanyama captured that feeling in simple words that still rang loud.
My biggest experience and what stood out was the fans’ turnout. It was really big and good, it shows we are back in football. The fans pushed the boys, it’s been a long time since we saw such numbers in the stadium, and hopefully this is the beginning of fans returning to the league.
He extended the thought on another platform, urging the country not to let this just be a CHAN moment.
The fans have kept the team going in this tournament, they have played a big part. Seeing that means a lot, and hopefully it will not just be for CHAN because the league is almost starting. I hope the fans will turn out in large numbers and support the players, it will help grow the game because everyone will want to come to Kenya and make our league better.
A dream run and a cruel exit
Results told a stirring story. Kenya topped the so-called Group of Death with 10 points from 12, beating DR Congo, Morocco, and Zambia, and drawing with Angola. Across five matches the team found the net every time, a marker of belief and rhythm built under coach Benni McCarthy. In the quarterfinal against Madagascar, Stars drew 1-1 through extra time, then fell 4-3 on penalties. Kenya did not lose a single game in regulation, they dominated large stretches and had a goal chalked off that many felt could have changed everything. It was, by any measure, an excruciating exit.
Nothing but proud of what we achieved. The players gave everything every single day in training and every match. It was really good but football is like that, the lottery of penalties sometimes does not go your way.
It is a bit tough to go out this way. We expected a tough game but did not expect them to be this way. Their movement off the ball was great. I want to congratulate Madagascar for their passage to the semis.
The moment that lit up Kasarani
Ask Wanyama for a single image to bottle from CHAN 2024, and he goes straight to the night Kenya beat Morocco. Reduced to ten men after Chris Erambo’s first-half red card, Stars clung to Ryan Ogam’s early strike and refused to yield. The win sent a surge through the city and pushed Kenya four points clear at the top of Group A in real time. For the former Tottenham and Celtic midfielder, it was the signature statement of belief.
I would say the best game for Kenya was beating Morocco. After receiving a first-half red card and still going ahead to win the game, it was unbelievable, and that was my favorite moment of the tournament so far.
I was at home watching the game with my family, and I was buzzing. After the red card, I thought we were done, but seeing how the boys fought until the last minute, I was really happy to see them hold onto that lead and finish the game with a win.
That kind of resilience is not just a result, it is a memory that locks into a team’s identity. It becomes a reference point, a promise to the crowd that Kenya can stand tall against elite opposition and find a way. It is the kind of night that makes a youngster dream, and a veteran like Wanyama smile with quiet conviction.
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The Benni McCarthy effect on a young squad
If the crowd was the drumbeat, McCarthy set the tempo. Wanyama repeatedly credited the coach for lifting a young group into performance levels that surprised the continent. Confidence and freedom were the words that kept coming up, and the proof was in the poise on the ball and the refusal to panic in tense moments.
The secret was in the coach giving the players confidence. They stepped onto the pitch with a belief that is not easy for young players to have, and still put in top performances. That shows the confidence the coach instilled in them, and the freedom he gave them to go out and express themselves. It was wonderful to watch.
Wanyama also spoke of team spirit, an intangible that becomes visible in second balls won and last-ditch blocks. It was there in the way Kenya navigated pressure, there in the way the bench stayed engaged, and there in the way the squad trusted the game plan. Under McCarthy, the collective belief looked real, not rhetorical.
CHAN as platform and rehearsal
Wanyama was unequivocal about CHAN’s value. For him, this tournament matters because it gives local players a global window. Scouts track it closely, and careers can change in a week. He pointed to examples from previous editions, like Ayoub El Kaabi, to illustrate how a standout performance can fast-track a move to Europe. The message to Kenyan players was equal parts encouragement and challenge, perform here and doors open.
CHAN is a very important tournament for African football. It gives the local players a chance to show what they can do and is also a good platform for scouts to come and watch some great talent and pick them up for bigger leagues outside the continent.
He also contextualized this edition in national terms. Hosting has already spurred infrastructure upgrades and sharpened organizational muscles. In his words, there are improved facilities, better coaching, and a wave of players doing something for the country. It is why he sees CHAN as a dress rehearsal for AFCON 2027, which Kenya will co-host with Uganda and Tanzania, and why advancing to the knockout rounds, a first at a major tournament in 38 years, is a milestone to build upon. The trajectory, as he tells it, is upward and urgent.
The next generation and who could go to Europe
Spotlights at tournament’s end often turn to individuals who might be ready for the next step. Wanyama did not hesitate, naming Manzur Okwaro Suleiman and Austine Odhiambo as the two Kenyan players he believes could make it in Europe. The pair embodied the tournament’s promise, a blend of potential and performance that caught the eye.
- Manzur Okwaro Suleiman, a surprise to some, showed composure and range in his minutes,
- Austine Odhiambo, scorer of Kenya’s first two goals at CHAN, proved he can influence games at international level.
Their usage fluctuated, with Suleiman starting three early matches then returning to the lineup for the quarterfinal, and Odhiambo seeing starts, a bench role, and finally no minutes in the last eight. Even so, their upward curve felt unmistakable to Wanyama, who trusts that CHAN’s visibility can convert a breakout into a contract. That is precisely the point of the platform, to reward readiness with real opportunity.
Why the league needs this energy now
The momentum cannot stop at the final whistle. Wanyama’s appeal is both emotional and practical. With facilities improved and the FKF Premier League season set to kick off on Saturday 20 September, he wants those CHAN nights to migrate to club football. KCB FC and Tusker FC are slated for a high-profile curtain-raiser, and the hope is that the same fans who lifted Stars will now transform weekly atmospheres across the country.
The facilities have been massively improved, and therefore, with the pitches in place, I urge fans to turn up and make the league competitive.
He did not stop at that. Wanyama also applauded the wider tournament organization, noting clean logistics and an efficient ticketing system that set the tone for a smooth fan experience from start to finish. It was, in his view, a model of how to run a major event and how to give supporters a day out worth their time and money. In his words, this edition was properly handled.
I would say the tournament has been a success from setup to selling of tickets to logistics, and everything in between. In conclusion, it has been properly handled.
Three pillars that fueled the Harambee Stars run
In Wanyama’s reflections, three themes surfaced again and again. They read like a blueprint for sustained progress.
- Fan support, the spark that lifted energy and performance across five games,
- Confidence and freedom under Benni McCarthy, the tactical trust that unlocked young players,
- CHAN’s impact on local football, the experience that toughens squads and raises the bar in the league.
The road ahead
The calendar offers no time to dwell. Kenya now pivot to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with back-to-back home matches at Kasarani, a chance to channel fresh belief into results. The lesson from CHAN is clear, defend with grit, trust the ball, and trust the crowd. The stage is familiar, and the stakes are higher. The CHAN final and closing ceremony are set for Saturday 30 August at Kasarani Stadium, a fitting bookend for a tournament that has felt like a national reset. What lingers after the confetti is the conviction that this surge can be sustained, from national team nights to FKF Premier League weekends, from promising debuts to transfers that turn prospects into professionals.
That is why Wanyama’s voice carries, because it is rooted in lived experience and delivered without frills. He knows what loud stadiums can do to young legs and brave hearts. He knows that momentum can disappear if it is not fed. And he knows that Kenya, in this moment, has both the spark and the structure to move forward. The playbook is not complicated, pack the stands, back the coaches, trust the players, and keep the standards rising. If CHAN 2024 was the ignition, then the months ahead are about turning the key, and driving Kenyan football into the future with purpose and pride.
