Nairobi — Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat arrived in the country last night ahead of a double-header international friendly against Burundi later this month.

The Turk is expected to name his provisional squad ahead of the duel, which will be Kenya's first since November 2021 when Harambee Stars beat Rwanda 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier match.

Many football enthusiasts will be hoping that Firat's second stint in charge will be much improved from his first one where he only won one match out of the three in which he tutored the national team.

His reign was made more difficult by the wrangles that were bedevilling the football scene, leading to the disbandment of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) by then Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed and subsequent suspension of the country by Fifa.

The former Moldova coach, who began his coaching journey in Germany, will be expected to resuscitate the fortunes of a national team whose last appearance in an international competition was in 2019 at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

He will also be expected to match the lofty ambitions of the Kenya Kwanza government who, through Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba, have declared their desire to see Harambee Stars qualify for the 2030 World Cup.