CECAFA U17: Uganda banking on past experience ahead of renewal of regional rivalry with Kenya
By Luke Oluoch, June 20, 2026Kenya’s U17 girls are set to renew their rivalry with their Ugandan counterparts as the CECAFA Women’s U17 Championship returns for the semifinal stage on Sunday, June 21, 2026.
The clash will be the first of the two encounters before hosts Tanzania face off against South Sudan in the other semi-final.
Ugandan ace Justine Ayerango insisted that the team is ready for the CECAFA semifinal against Junior Starlets as they clash after meeting twice in the U17 FIFA World Cup second-round qualifier.
Mildred Cheche’s side got the better of their neighbourly rivals on the away goal rule, but the Ugandans are promising a different matchup in the CECAFA game.
Ready to go again
“We are ready for the match against Kenya. We have played Kenyans before in the World Cup qualifier; it was not an easy game, but I am sure we are ready to implement what we have learned in training and beat them,” she said.
The sentiments were echoed by coach Shery Boates, who maintains that her charges have done their homework well for the challenge posed by the Junior Starlets.
Uganda have maintained an unbeaten run in their group stages after capping off their Group B games by defeating South Sudan 4-0 to register their third win in as many games on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
On their part, Kenya dominantly opened the campaign, thumping Sudan 16-0 before also claiming wins against them to stay unbeaten.
They battled hard to snatch a point in the final group match against Tanzania courtesy of Jael Simiyu’s added-time equaliser.
“The team knows Kenya’s strengths and what to expect, so we are focusing on what and how we want to play,” she stated. “We have worked on getting the ball in the final third and trying to get a lot of goals,” she added.
The winner of the clash will face either Tanzania or South Sudan, who finished as runners-up in Group B behind Uganda, with a berth in the regional finals at stake.
The last four encounters will be staged at the KMC Stadium.