Benni McCarthy gutted to lose striker Osoro for Kenya ahead of CHAN

Kenya national team head coach Benni McCarthy has described as a shame to lose striker Emmanuel Osoro for Harambee Stars ahead of the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament slated to kick off in August.

🎙️Benni McCarthy isn’t closing the door on any local player before #CHAN2024 kicks off if he is to experience an injury.

Terms Emmanuel Osoro and Mosses Shummah absence in the team as a loss.#Pepeta #TotalEnergiesCHAN2024 pic.twitter.com/W4apY06i9r

— Pepeta (@pepeta_ke) July 16, 2025

Osoro, who finished as the second top scorer in the just-concluded Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League with 16 goals and seven assists, pulled out of Harambee Stars camp to sign for Power Dynamos of Zambia on a two-year permanent deal.

By signing for the Zambian Super League champions, Osoro, who featured for FC Talanta last season, became ineligible to represent Kenya at the CHAN because the tournament is only reserved for players who feature for their respective clubs in local leagues.

Osoro’s exit comes after another striker Moses Shumah signed for the same side also becoming ineligible to play at the CHAN. According to the South African legend, it was a shame to lose Osoro a few days before the CHAN gets underway.

“We have already lost Emmanuel Osoro, he was a very key figure to the team, but he signed a contract with a foreign club, so with the rules of CAF, it means that he is not eligible to play in the CHAN, which is a shame to us because, he is a player that did exceptionally well in the league, and when we were out in Morocco, he was one of the outstanding performers,” said McCarthy as quoted by Flashscore.

“Then you get to lose a player just before CHAN starts, so yeah, and also Shumah, another player that we also lost, that was already with the squad, and was in my provisional squad as well, so when you lose two quality players of that status, weeks before the CHAN it is difficult, but you have to have open mind that if there are other players outside there, who can impress, and they can help the team in CHAN, then we are open to including them.”

Kenya have been drawn in Group A alongside Morocco, DR Congo, Angola and Zambia.