Kenyan captain Michael Olunga has advised Harambee Stars players, who were beneficiaries of a huge financial windfall from the concluded CHAN competition, to stay grounded after earning millions.

In a frank remark to the players on Monday, September 1, 2025, Olunga reminded the players that money will always come as long as they remain true to the ideals of the game and maintain the hard work.

Level-headed

 “Success comes with lots of issues: friends, fame, and recognition. Sometimes, if players are not level-headed, they might lose focus. This is just the beginning of great things in their careers. Money will always be plentiful in football with hard work and consistency,” Olunga opined.

“It is a huge amount of money. I am sure most of them have people who help them with advice. Sometimes it is difficult to advise people with money, and I believe they are grounded and they are in the right direction,” he stated

 The Kenyan skipper also lauded the government’s move to reward the player. Olunga also reserved fans for supporting the national team. He further urged the fans to extend their support to the local club and enable them to wade through the challenging financial times.

“For once, the government appreciated the team very well for the service delivered. We hope this will continue into the future,” he stated.

“It is a motivating thing to see the turnout.. If they can continue supporting the national team, it will be good, and it is not only the national team; they should also support the club and help them raise revenue from gate collections and get used to the high-pressure atmosphere,” he added.

CHAN Windfall

 Harambee Stars players took home a Ksh3 million windfall after beating Zambia in their final Group A clash after President Ruto came good on his cash reward of Ksh2.5 million for the team, and Raila Odinga topped up the amount with a Ksh500,000 each for each player.

The team had initially collected Ksh1 million from a win against DR Congo and Morocco in line with the president’s pledge for every single win earned in the African Nations Championship.