JUNIOR STARS ARRIVE IN KIGALI FOR CECAFA U-17 AFCON QUALIFIERS

Kenya’s national Under-17 men’s football team, the Junior Stars, have travelled to Kigali, Rwanda, ahead of the CECAFA regional qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations U-17.

The tournament is scheduled to run from October 10 to 19, 2026, with matches set to be played at the Kigali Pele Stadium and the FERWAFA Technical Centre**.

The Junior Stars have been drawn in Group C alongside defending CECAFA champions Tanzania and Djibouti, setting up a demanding group-stage campaign for coach William Muluya and his young squad.

Muluya has named a final 23-player squad for the tournament after the team reported to a residential training camp on September 24 to intensify preparations. The squad includes two goalkeepers, seven defenders, six midfielders and eight forwards.

Kenya will be looking to improve on their performance in the previous edition of the CECAFA U-17 qualifiers. In 2025, the Junior Stars reached the semi-finals after finishing second in their group but eventually placed fourth after defeats to Tanzania in the semi-final and Ethiopia in the third-place playoff.

The qualification format means there is little room for error. The winner of each group will automatically advance to the semi-finals, while the best second-placed team across the three groups will complete the last-four lineup.

The two finalists, together with the winner of the third-place playoff, will then earn the right to represent the CECAFA region at the 2027 CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.

For the Junior Stars, the mission in Kigali is therefore clear: navigate a difficult group, reach the knockout stage and finish among the three teams that will secure the region's tickets to the continental finals.

With preparations now complete and the squad already in Rwanda, attention turns to the pitch as Kenya's emerging talents begin their latest quest for continental qualification.