Benni McCarthy and foreign technical staff still waiting for Kenya work permits

Kenya head coach Benni McCarthy and members of his foreign technical staff are still without work permits more than a year after their appointments.

The South African was appointed Kenya’s head coach in March 2025, taking charge of the Harambee Stars as the country prepared for a series of international fixtures and its wider push to improve its footballing fortunes.

However, despite the length of time McCarthy and his foreign-based technical team have spent in the country, the necessary work permits are yet to be secured.

Sources indicate that all the required documentation was submitted to the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) when McCarthy and his technical staff arrived, but the process has not been completed.

The unresolved permit situation is also understood to have affected the staff’s involvement in domestic football.

McCarthy and his foreign assistants are said to spend much of their time at home and rarely attend Kenyan Premier League matches, limiting their opportunities to watch players in the domestic competition.

The lack of regular attendance at local league games has raised questions about the extent to which the national team coaching staff can monitor emerging talent playing in Kenya.

McCarthy’s role includes identifying and developing players capable of representing the Harambee Stars, making regular exposure to domestic matches an important part of the job.

The former Manchester United and Porto striker arrived in Kenya with considerable international coaching experience, having previously worked with South African club AmaZulu and other teams.

His appointment was seen as a significant step for Kenyan football, with the FKF expecting him to help improve the national team’s performances and build a stronger squad.

But the unresolved work permit issue has created an unusual situation in which the national team coach and members of his technical team remain in the country without the documentation that would formally allow them to work.

It remains unclear when the permits will be issued or what further steps are required to complete the process.

The FKF has yet to publicly provide a detailed explanation of the delay.

For now, McCarthy and his staff continue to oversee the Harambee Stars while the administrative issue remains unresolved, with their limited presence at domestic league matches likely to remain a talking point as Kenya’s national team programme develops.