Kenya U17 coach William Muluya has sounded a warning of a tough test awaiting his charges against Rwanda in the ongoing AFCON U17 CECAFA qualifiers tournament.

Both teams will be out to claim their maiden win for the competition after opening their respective games with a draw and loss, respectively.

Rwanda fell to Ethiopia, who now lead the group on six points, as Kenya squandered a goal advantage to draw Somalia 1-1 on November 19.
Muluya has predicted a tough outing for his charges against a team he believes will pose a formidable challenge after losing their opener to the hosts.

“Our next opponents are a good side despite losing to Ethiopia. We have to improve at keeping possession; we lack physicality against the dominant teams. None of our players match their physical abilities, and we will need to put in the work to match them in physical aerial duels,” he stated.

Heading to the clash slated to kick off at 1:00 pm, Muluya has implored his charges to summon a new sense of belief and take the next opponents with courage.

Kenya, who are pooled in Group B, will be out to upend the neighbours for a maiden victory.

“The players have to believe in themselves. This is a knockout tournament in progress. We have three games to go; it will be tough with Ethiopia already on three points. We also look to attain safety,” he added.

After the test against Rwanda, the young guns will ramp up the task of advancing past the preliminary stages of the competition against South Sudan on November 24, 2025, at 4:00 pm.

The budding charges will wrap up their group fixtures with a clash against hosts Ethiopia on November 27, 2025, at 3:00 pm.

Junior Stars will be fighting for one of the two available slots for the 2026 U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, with the two finalists earning CECAFA’s slots for next year’s AFCON.