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Kenya’s football national team head coach Engin Firat is in the country ahead of the scheduled friendly fixtures against Burundi this month.

Firat’s first task will be to prepare the current crop of players ahead of the much-awaited fixtures after a long break from international football following the country’s suspension from all football activities due to government interference.

Stars has not played any international match since November 2021.

Their matches will be played in Nairobi during the next FIFA international window, and Firat together with members of his technical bench are expected to announce a provisional squad tomorrow.

The Turkish coach first handled Harambee Stars last year when he was in charge of three matches. However, he could not continue in his role after Kenya was suspended by the world governing body FIFA due to government interference after the FKF executive committee was disbanded.

Firat who has previously coached Moldova said he was happy to be back and is optimistic that with the support of government, fans and sponsors, he can turn around the fortunes of the team and make it qualify for the 2026 World Cup to be co-hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico.

The experienced tactician replaced Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee who left the job in what he said was mutual agreement with the federation bosses. Mulee had taken over the job from Francis Kimanzi who had been elevated to the hot seat after Sebastian Migne left.

Firat had a disastrous start to his Stars’ tenure when Kenya lost 5-0 away to Mali in the 2022 World cup qualifiers. A week later Stars once again lost the reverse fixture 0-1 in Nairobi.

However, with a new team in hand, only time can tell if Firat will change the fortunes of the national team which has continuously dwindled over the years.