The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has officially confirmed that Kenya’s Harambee Starlets will participate in the 2025 CECAFA Senior Women’s Championship, scheduled to take place from June 12 to 22 in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
Kenya joins hosts Tanzania, South Sudan, Burundi, and Uganda in the five-nation regional tournament organized by the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) in partnership with the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF).
The tournament serves as a vital preparatory platform for teams ahead of the Africa Women Cup of Nations (WAFCON), set to begin next month in Morocco. Yusuf Mossi, CECAFA’s Competitions Director, explained that hosting the championship in June will help WAFCON-bound teams like Tanzania fine-tune their squads, while other participating nations will use the event to build momentum ahead of the WAFCON 2026 qualifiers scheduled for October.
“The competition will help our representatives prepare better for WAFCON and allow the other teams to build momentum for the upcoming qualifiers,” Mossi said.
Following the Women’s Championship, CECAFA will focus on other regional competitions, including the inaugural CECAFA Beach Soccer Championship from July 7 to 12 in Mombasa, Kenya. Other 2025 events include the CAF Women’s Club Champions League CECAFA qualifiers, the Dar Port Kagame Cup, and youth-level qualifiers across East and Central Africa.
However, CECAFA has confirmed that the Senior Challenge Cup and the U-20 Women’s Championship will not take place this year.
Meanwhile, the Harambee Starlets are currently in Tangier, Morocco, where they will face the host nation’s Atlas Lionesses in an international friendly match as part of their preparations for the CECAFA tournament.
On the men’s side, Harambee Stars midfielder Mohammed Bajaber has been ruled out of the upcoming international friendlies against Chad due to injury. Kenya is scheduled to play Chad on June 7 and June 10 in Marrakech as part of its international window schedule.
