Kenya’s senior national team has a new head coach, and it’s none other than one of South Africa’s celebrated football sons, Benni McCarthy.

The former Bafana Bafana striker has put pen to paper on a two-year deal to guide the Harambee Stars.

McCarthy was officially unveiled in Nairobi on Monday afternoon, and he was accompanied by his new technical team members: Vasili Manousakis (assistant coach), Moeneeb Josephs (goalkeeper coach), and Pilela Maposa (performance analyst).

Ever the optimist, McCarthy is not fazed by the fact that Kenya is ranked a lowly 108th out of 210 countries on the FIFA rankings.

During his introduction to the East African nation, McCarthy lauded Kenya’s Football Federation (FKF) for the way they run their business and, in the same breath, stated that he’s convinced this is the right project for him, despite this being a surprise move.

“Transparency. FKF is a regime that is very transparent, honest, and open,” he said.

McCarthy and his team would be expected to hit the ground running, with Kenya set to play Gambia and Gabon in FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifiers this month.

In his heyday, McCarthy used to hit the net with ease, culminating in him being Bafana Bafana’s top scorer of all time with 31 goals.

Since his retirement, he’s had a decent run as coach, including stints at Cape Town City and AmaZulu, as well as being first team coach of Manchester United.