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TikToker M Alby: Africa’s World Cup success exposes Kenya’s failure to nurture talent
02nd July, 2026 05:02 PM
TikToker and digital content creator Mohammed Alby, popularly known as King of Smiles, has called on Kenya to rethink how it supports sports talent, saying the country’s continued absence from the FIFA World Cup is a reflection of years of underinvestment in young athletes.
Reacting to the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup in a TikTok video on Thursday, July 2, 2026, Alby argued that Kenya has enough gifted footballers to compete on the global stage but lacks the structures and commitment needed to develop them into world-class professionals.
According to the content creator, the country’s biggest challenge is not a shortage of talent but a failure to properly support and invest in it.
“Kenya needs to stop eating money meant for talents,” he said.
He noted that many young Kenyans have watched their sporting dreams fade because of inadequate support systems, poor infrastructure and limited opportunities to progress in professional football.
“We come from a generation that didn’t have talent support. Many of us watching right now could have achieved so much,” he added.
Alby urged both the government and private sector to prioritise grassroots sports development, saying Kenya risks wasting generations of talented players if the current situation remains unchanged.
He expressed confidence that Kenya has what it takes to qualify for future FIFA World Cups if the country begins investing seriously in young footballers.
“Maybe it’s time to come together and invest in our stars because in the next World Cup, Kenya will be there. Kenya needs to be at the World Cup,” he said.
The TikToker also challenged Kenyans to support local athletes with the same passion they show international football stars during major tournaments.
“If you’re like me, you probably once had dreams of going pro, but it’s not the easiest thing in Kenya now. We’re watching stars play at the World Cup and it got me thinking, what if we actually came together to support our stars?” he posed.
His remarks come amid growing conversations about sports funding in Kenya, with stakeholders repeatedly calling for increased investment in youth academies, football infrastructure and transparent management of resources allocated to talent development.
Africa’s historic World Cup campaign
Alby’s comments come against the backdrop of one of Africa’s most successful FIFA World Cup campaigns in history.
Of those, nine countries advanced beyond the group stage, making Africa the best-performing football confederation in terms of qualification success, with 90 per cent of its representatives reaching the knockout rounds.
Among the standout performers were Morocco, Ghana, Egypt, Algeria and Cape Verde, all of which remained in contention for the latter stages of the tournament.
Cape Verde particularly captured global attention after progressing from a difficult group unbeaten, while South Africa made history by reaching the knockout stages for the first time before narrowly exiting the competition.
Throughout the tournament, African teams also produced memorable performances against some of world football’s traditional powerhouses, recording impressive victories and hard-fought draws that highlighted the continent’s growing competitiveness.
Author
Steve Ireri
Steve is a senior writer with over four years of experience in digital journalism. His focus is on the showbiz and human interest stories. Emails: [email protected] , [email protected]
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