Former Kenya midfielder Charles Okwemba has pointed to the absence of a creative spark in Harambee Stars’ midfield as the decisive factor in their heart-wrenching exit from the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) quarter-finals at Kasarani Stadium on Friday.
After a 1-1 draw through normal and extra time, Madagascar clinched a 4-3 victory on penalties against Kenya, with Toky Rakotondraibe’s spot-kick proving decisive after Alphonce Omija’s miss for the hosts.
Okwemba, a 2010 debutant for the Harambee Stars, singled out head coach Benni McCarthy’s decision to bench key midfielder Austin Odhiambo as a critical error. Odhiambo, a standout for Gor Mahia in the FKF Premier League, had been instrumental in Kenya’s group stage, scoring the winner in a 1-0 victory over two-time champions DR Congo and converting a penalty in a 1-1 draw against Angola despite Kenya playing with 10 men after Marvin Nabwire’s red card.
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Speaking exclusively to Flashscore, Okwemba questioned McCarthy’s “tactical decision” to leave Odhiambo unused against Madagascar. “The game needed a creative spark in that final third, but we lacked it, which significantly affected our possibilities of getting chances to hurt the opponent,” Okwemba said.
“Austin Odhiambo would have come in handy to offer that, but the technical bench knows better why they opted to keep him out all those minutes. I don’t want to comment much on that.”
McCarthy defended his choices post-match, telling reporters: “We set up to dominate midfield. Marvin [Nabwire] and Alpha [Onyango] are attack-minded, and Manzur [Okwaro] holds the base.” However, Okwemba argued that Kenya’s substitutions—introducing debutants Austin Odongo and Edward Omondi—were “hurried” and disrupted the team’s rhythm. “Ryan Ogam and Boniface Muchiri were our main threats,” he added. “They should have stayed on.”
The former AFC Leopards star described Madagascar as “very beatable” but lamented that Kenya “shot ourselves in the foot.”
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