Toothless Harambee Stars held by Rwanda in Kigali

The result means Harambee Stars remain without a win in their last three outings during this international window, having drawn 1-1 with Eritrea and lost 1-0 away to Guinea in their AFCON 2027 qualifiers

Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy instructs players during a training session at Kasarani Stadium Annex as the team prepares for the CHAN 2024 Tournament on July 16, 2025. Photo/Sportpicha

Harambee Stars closed out a difficult international break on a flat note after playing out a goalless draw with regional rivals Rwanda in an international friendly at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali on Monday.

Kenya, who went into the match looking to end the window on a positive note following a mixed run of results in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, once again struggled to find a cutting edge in the final third, extending their goal drought against a Rwandan side that had arrived in the fixture full of confidence.

The first half produced little in the way of clear-cut chances, with both teams cancelling each other out in a cagey, attritional affair that mirrored the lack of fluency Harambee Stars have shown in recent outings.

Head coach Benni McCarthy, who had used the friendly as a platform to hand opportunities to several younger players, saw his experimental side fail to translate possession into meaningful threats on goal, with the Amavubi defence comfortably repelling what little Kenya had to offer.

The second half followed a similar script, with Rwanda making changes of their own, including the introduction of Hakim Hamis for Kévin Muhire early in the restart, as the hosts searched for a breakthrough that never materialised.

Despite enjoying spells of pressure, neither side could find the composure or quality required to turn dominance into goals, and the match petered out goalless.

The result means Harambee Stars remain without a win in their last three outings during this international window, having drawn 1-1 with Eritrea and lost 1-0 away to Guinea in their AFCON 2027 qualifiers, before adding this latest stalemate in Kigali.

For a team already under scrutiny over its lack of attacking fluency, the performance against Rwanda will do little to ease growing frustration among fans ahead of Kenya's AFCON 2027 assignment as co-hosts alongside Uganda and Tanzania.

Rwanda, by contrast, entered the match on a four-match winning streak in which they had scored 11 goals and conceded just two, and will view the stalemate as a minor blip in an otherwise impressive run of form under their qualifying campaign.

For McCarthy, the draw offers mixed takeaways: valuable minutes for fringe players looking to stake a claim for AFCON selection, but also fresh questions about Harambee Stars' ability to create and convert chances against regional opposition, a concern that will need urgent attention before Kenya's AFCON qualifiers resume.