Engin Firat's tenure as Harambee Stars coach is on the line after the team's failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.
This is after Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the ministry would cease funding Firat's contract after his failure to guide the team to AFCON.
Speaking during the unveiling of the NYC National Election Steering Committee, Murkomen said the decision to fire the coach rests with the Football Kenya Federation but he had done his best to support the Harambee Stars. According to Murkomen, there is a clause in the contract between FKF and Firat that indicates that the coach will be relieved of his duties should the country fail to gain entry into AFCON.
"I am aware of the agreement between FKF and the coach, which stipulates that failure to qualify for AFCON would lead to disengagement," Murkomen said on Wednesday.
The Sports CS added that the ministry is actively working on that and that the resources the ministry is extending to FKF to fund the coach will be stopped once that is finalised.
According to Murkomen, the Sports docket had an agreement with Firat while drafting the coach's three-year contract which Firat signed in September 2021, with a reported monthly salary of Ksh 1.5 million.
"Since the ministry funded the contract, we will, given the circumstances of our failure to qualify, implement that part of the agreement and cease providing further resources," he said.
Kenya, despite a promising start to the qualifiers, finished third in Group J, behind Cameroon and Zimbabwe after a torrid run of three losses and three draws in six matches.
The latest 0-0 draw against Namibia on Tuesday, November 19, further raised questions on whether Firat was the right man for the job going forward.
Firat, however, expressed optimism after the match as he hinted at having discussions with the current FKF boss Nick Mwendwa before the December 7 elections.
"I spoke with President Nick Mwendwa, and if Doris Petra takes over, we will sit down and plan for next year," Firat said.
"We have targets, including hosting a tournament in Nairobi, but it's all football. We’ll see what happens after the elections. I also have a contract, and that’s a reality."
The coach's sentiments appeared to suggest that his future hinged on Mwendwa and Petra retaining their seat in the upcoming elections. With Mwendwa already running for the presidency for two terms, he is ineligible for another term. He has, however, fielded his deputy Petra to run for the presidency in a bid to stay within the Federation's top hierarchy.
