Former Harambee Stars defender James Situma has expressed confidence that Kenya has what it takes to book a place in the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) finals, hailing the team’s steady improvement throughout the tournament.

The Kenya Footballers Welfare Association (KEFWA) President noted that the squad has shown significant growth since their opening match against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Sunday, August 3, 2025, at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.

“Since day one, when we played DRC, we could see that maybe we did not believe in ourselves, but we have been getting better in every match against Angola, Morocco, Zambia, and here we are against Madagascar, a step away from the finals. We are solidly behind you guys, let us make Kenya proud,” Situma said on Friday, August 22, 2025, hours before Harambee Stars take on Madagascar in the CHAN quarter-finals at Kasarani Stadium starting 5 pm local time.

The former defender, who also turned out for Sofapaka and Tusker in the FKF Premier League, believes Kenya’s resilience and teamwork have been key to their progress. He urged the players to carry the nation’s hopes with determination and to seize the opportunity to write history by edging Madagascar.

Kenya booked a quarter-finals berth against Madagascar after finishing top of CHAN 2024 Group A with 10 points. The particular clash has sparked optimism among fans and football stakeholders in the country after Harambee Stars reached the last eight phase without defeat in their pool, having won three matches and drawn one.

Being their debut year at CHAN, Harambee Stars have never reached a CHAN quarter-finals before, and a victory against Madagascar would book their semi-finals encounter with either Sudan or Algeria, who are also facing each other in the quarters.

CAF reviews match attendance at Kasarani Stadium

Situma’s backing of Harambee Stars comes shortly after CAF revised attendance for the Harambee Stars’ quarterfinal clash at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani. The continent’s football governing body had earlier capped attendance at 60 per cent, citing crowd control concerns, but later raised it to 80 per cent following an appeal by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC).

The decision now allows up to 36,000 fans into Kasarani for Friday’s match, an increase from the 27,000 limit enforced during Kenya’s final group-stage tie against Zambia.