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Selection headache Beldine Odemba faces ahead of Harambee Starlets WAFCON return
27th February, 2026 01:20 PM
As the countdown to the 2026 WAFCON continues, Kenya coach Beldine Odemba has her work cut out in deciding the final team for the competition.
With an intense anticipation around women’s football in recent times, which appears to be outpacing the men’s game, fans are now tracking national team affairs with increased attention.
All eyes remain glued on who makes the cut, with fans already engaging in their best “armchair” punditry and analysis, suggesting who should or should not make the ultimate team.
Selection headache
For Odemba, however, the coach faces a tough selection headache that could be likened to being “doomed if she does and doomed if she doesn’t.”
The tactician faced major backlash over the snubbing of Simba Queens striker Corazone Aquino.
The much-travelled attacker remains one of the most experienced members in the Starlets’ ranks, and her omission from the provisional squad for WAFCON in February raised eyebrows, sparking a debate among fans and pundits that has yet to die down.
The former Bullets coach came under criticism, as she had also snubbed the player in a past call-up for CECAFA games, leading to a full-blown off-the-pitch saga that saw Aquino come out to clarify matters over her exclusion.
Odemba had faced similar issues during the qualifiers phase.
Call-up backlash
A specific case involved another Simba striker, Jentrix Shikangwa, who was once scoring goals for fun at her club just across the Namanga border.
Back home amid the competitive qualifiers, the gaffer remained unfazed—or at least unconvinced—by the striker, or at least that was how the majority of fans viewed her decision to leave Shikangwa on the bench for key clashes.
The weight of expectations and the pressure of leading the national team saw the Starlets’ head coach come under fire for benching her, with fans coming for her neck after the matches.
Amid the fierce backlash, her decision was ultimately vindicated after she successfully steered Kenya past Tunisia en route to edging The Gambia in the final round to earn their WAFCON spot.
WAFCON buildup
Fast forward to Kenya’s build-up to their return to the continental championship after a ten-year absence, and a similar challenge awaits the coach.
Kenya has recently produced the finest talents, thanks to the silent progress in the top-tier Women’s FKF Premier League, adding to the challenge of wading through the squad and integrating the wide pool of equally talented foreign-based stars who have started arriving for the championship.
As the head of the technical bench, Odemba reserves the free hand, of course in consultation with her staff, to make the decision that presents the right balance.
As fans hope that merit will prevail and the bench adheres to players best suited and equipped to represent the nation, Odemba, who stepped up to the permanent head coach role for the Starlets, and her team have their work cut out.
