Nairobi — The Ministry of Sports has rewarded each of the Harambee Junior Starlets players with Sh300,000 each after they made history, qualifying for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup for the first time ever following a 5-0 whipping of Burundi.

The Junior Starlets beat the Burundians 2-0 at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi on Sunday, winning the final qualification tie with a 5-0 aggregate score that assures them of a place in the Dominican Republic in October.

CS Ababu Namwamba hosted the girls for dinner after the match, where he announced a bumper Sh10mn total reward for the players and technical bench, as a token of appreciation for their brilliant performance.

Bottom-up is the way to go

Speaking after the game, the CS was delighted with the girls' performance, saying it showed that the 'bottom-up' model in the Talanta Hela Initiative was starting to bear fruit.

"This is mind-blowing. It is not every day that you witness the writing of history. We have never been close to any Kenyan team playing at the World Cup. These girls have written history and I am proud of them," the CS said.

Starlets is one of three African countries, including Nigeria and Zambia, who will play at the 2024 U17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic.

The Kenyan girls earned qualification without conceding a goal and scoring eight goals in four matches.

Investment in women's football paying off

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) boss Nick Mwendwa was also elated with the qualification, saying it showed their investment in youth development was starting to bear fruit.

"I have always said that our women's football is the single biggest area of growth in Kenyan football. We are proud of the team. We have a fantastic team, they know how to win and we are delighted with the support that we have seen. This is the product of continuous, consistent work," Mwendwa said after the game.