Former Gor Mahia goalkeeper Mathews Ottamax has explained why Ian Otieno should be maintained as the first-choice keeper under Benni McCarthy.

When McCarthy named his line-up to take on The Gambia and Gabon in March 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Otieno was given the goalkeeping duties.

Ottamax argues that the Richards Bay goalkeeper deserves to be Kenya’s first choice.

“At 31 and having been out of the national team for quite some time, Ian Otieno found himself back in Harambee Stars starting line-up under the new boss, Benny McCarthy, from South Africa, when most of us were beginning to forget about him.

“Still, many local football fans would want to argue his inclusion in the national team by the South African head coach ahead of the younger goalkeepers, probably saying it’s because he plays in McCarthy’s native league, considering also his choice of Polokwane’s Brian Bwire, who deputised Ian in the Stars’ recent international matches.

“Another intriguing factor that I want to believe Coach Benny McCarthy might have considered when naming his goalkeepers is the age and experience of his first choice, borrowed from the SA Premier Soccer League. If you look at the league, the average age of the goalkeepers is roughly pegged at 30.1%, with Denis Onyango from Uganda still active for Mamelodi Sundowns at 40 years old with 10 games played, seven cleansheets, and only missing thrice on the team’s match list in 30 matches as the oldest keeper,” Ottamax said in a post on his Facebook page.

Advantage

The former AFC Leopards goalkeeper says that Otieno has had better performance in the Premier Soccer League and that gives him an edge over his national rivals.

“Back to our Kenya One, Ian Otieno of Richards Bay, who has been battling for a starting position with 29-year-old Salim Magoola from Uganda, who reigns supreme with 17 games played, seven cleansheets, nine times on the bench, and four times out of the team list compared to Ian’s 11 matches, four cleansheets, 16 times on the bench, and never missing on the team sheet any day.

“Out of the 35 goalkeepers used in the South African Premier League this season, Kenya’s Ian Otieno produced the most outstanding performance, gaining 8.2 points in their one-nil loss to Orlando Pirates,” he stated.

He believes that with the current goalkeepers available for Harambee Stars, the future of that department is bright.

“As I conclude, could we be seeing the return of stability and consistency in Kenya’s goalkeeping department? I want to believe so!

“With the advantage spring ages of Brian Bwire, Bryne Odhiambo, and Wanzala, guided by the experience of Ian Otieno and Farouk Shikalo, I foresee a steady grip of my mentor Mahmoud Abbas creeping back to safely guard our goalposts,” Ottamax stated.