Benni McCarthy: Has Harambee Stars Coach Been Success or Failure?

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy oversaw one of the county’s heaviest defeats when his team lost 8-0 to Senegal in a friendly match in Turkey on Tuesday.

Kenya had no answers for the top-quality Senegal, who were 4-0 up inside 17 minutes, and took a 6-0 lead at half-time, inspired by a Sadio Mane hat-trick and Nicolas Jackson’s brace before completing the embarrassment after the break.

It is a result that left a bitter taste in the mouth of Kenyan fans with Football Kenya Federation boss Hussein Mohammed forced to issue an apology to the nation while promising to review the performance.

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That has turned the spotlight on head coach Benni McCarthy which begs the question, has the Harambee Stars coach been a failure or a success since he took the job?

McCarthy took the job in March 2025, replacing Turkish Engin Firat who had resigned last December and it was a time Kenyans were yearning for not just positive results but a change in approach from the former Moldova coach’s more defensive tactics.

The former Manchester United attacking coach promised to do whatever he could to help Kenya qualify for the 2026 World Cup while insisting that his team would play on the front foot.

His first match came just a few days later, a World Cup qualifier against The Gambia, and there were signs of ‘Benni ball’ when Kenyan played without fear and went on the offensive although a lack of quality and proper training exposed them at the back as they conceded twice before they fought back to draw 2-2.

Gambia would go ahead but a William Lenkupae’s stoppage time goal gave them a 3-3 draw in what was a thrilling game.

That got fans excited and in McCarthy’s second game, it was a home clash against Gabon. However, the excitement quickly disappeared as defensive mistakes allowed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to score twice with Michael Olunga grabbing one for the hosts for a 2-1 loss.

That exposed the huge rebuilding task that McCarthy had on his hands and in June, he had two friendly matches against Chad to try and address some of the problems.

The first match ended goalless, a disappointing result given Kenya wasted plenty of opportunities, before winning the second 2-1.

McCarthy would then lead Kenya to the 2024 African Nations Championships where they had a great group stage run.

The tactician employed a cautious approach that saw Kenya become hard to break down and got their goals on transition, beating DR Congo 1-0, drawing 1-1 with Angola, followed by identical 1-0 wins over Morocco and Zambia to top their group.

However, in the quarter-final, they went ahead first before Madagascar equalised and struggled to get the second before exiting on post-match penalties.

McCarthy’s tactics, selection and substitutions in this match raised eyebrows as he did not use some of the players that had done so well previously in the tournament.

In September, Kenya resumed their World Cup qualifiers and were handed a reality check when the Gambia beat them 3-1 at home, all three goals scored in a horrible first half that could have seen them concede more.

The game also exposed McCarthy’s tactics with his players struggling to deal with Musa Barrow and Yankuba Minteh but a 5-0 thrashing of minnows Seychelles provided some temporary relief.

Harambee Stars would travel to Burundi in October, where they won 1-0, but it was not a vintage display as they struggled to create chances despite playing against 10 men for nearly 90 minutes before a moment of quality from Ryan Ogame secured the victory.

Another heavy defeat would follow a few days later, Kenya thrashed 3-0 by Ivory Coast in their final World Cup qualifier, when they totally collapsed and were lucky not to concede more as Amad Diallo and Nicolas Pepe toyed with them.

Harambee Stars then set up two friendly matches against Equatorial Guinea and Senegal this month and while it was not an embarrassing loss against the latter, they still struggled to break them down before a mistake led to the penalty that their opponents scored from.

However, on Tuesday, it was an embarrassment on a large scale when McCarthy’s men looked out of sorts and timid as they were outclassed with the players handed opportunities struggling against the top-quality opponent.

McCarthy has therefore taken charge of 15 matches, winning six, drawing three and losing six. More importantly, in competitive matches, the tactician has five wins, two draws and four losses in 11 matches.

This is still a decent record if you consider the defeats were against quality sides in Gabon, Madagascar, Gambia and Ivory Coast.

It is still too early to judge the South African coach as he has been testing a number of players and combinations with an eye on a strong team ahead of AFCON 2027 but he will be the first one to admit that while losing is part of the game, it will not be acceptable to concede five, six, seven or eight.

If that continues, then McCarthy’s position will certainly come under threat as pressure to leave will begin to build.

The 48-year-old coach has March 2026 to redeem himself as whoever Kenya plays in the next international window, the result must be decent or the tactician will find it hard after.