By Francis Onyach - Reporter
Kenya, July 15, 2026 - Harambee Starlets' final preparations for the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) were thrown into uncertainty on Wednesday after players staged a protest at the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Goal Project offices in Kasarani, demanding the immediate payment of their outstanding allowances before departing for a pre-tournament training camp in France.
Videos circulating on social media showed players chanting "No money, no France" and "No money, no WAFCON" as they gathered outside the FKF offices. The players insisted they would not travel until the outstanding payments were settled.
The protest came less than 24 hours after President William Ruto hosted Harambee Starlets and Kenya's Junior Starlets at State House, where he officially flagged off both teams ahead of their respective international tournaments.
During the event, President Ruto announced that the government had released more than KSh33 million to clear pending allowances owed to Kenya's national football teams. He said he had been briefed by Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangangi that all government obligations had been settled.
However, Wednesday's demonstration suggested that some Harambee Starlets players had not received the payments they expected before leaving for France. As of Wednesday afternoon, neither the Ministry of Sports nor the Football Kenya Federation had issued an official statement explaining the apparent discrepancy between the President's announcement and the players' claims.
The allowance dispute has been building for several weeks.
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Earlier this month, Harambee Starlets head coach Beldine Odemba publicly appealed to the government to settle the squad's outstanding dues before the team departed for its WAFCON preparations. Odemba revealed that players were still owed allowances from recent international assignments and stressed that resolving the issue would allow the team to focus fully on the continental tournament.
The France training camp is considered a crucial part of Kenya's preparations before the team travels to Morocco for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, which runs from July 25 to August 16.
Kenya qualified for the tournament after defeating The Gambia 4-1 on aggregate, marking the country's return to WAFCON after missing the previous editions. The Harambee Starlets have been drawn in Group A alongside hosts Morocco, Senegal and Algeria.
The latest standoff now raises fresh concerns over player welfare and could disrupt the team's final preparations if the payment dispute is not resolved quickly.
At the time of publication, there was no official confirmation that the outstanding allowances had been paid or that the protesting players had agreed to travel to France.