EXCLUSIVE: Muyoti Appointed Assistant to New Kenyan Coach Benni McCarthy

Former coach of Nairobi City Stars, Nicholas Muyoti, is tipped to join the new technical team of the Harambee Stars, which will be headed by South African coach Benni McCarthy. McCarthy is set to arrive in the country on Thursday to sign his contract.

The ex-Manchester United assistant has already agreed to work alongside former South African national team goalkeeper Joseph Moeneeb in the role of goalkeeper coach, and Vasili Manousakis as his assistant. The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is expected to enhance the technical staff with local coaches to help the new team settle in and achieve success.

McCarthy set to arrive on Thursday for Harambee Stars position

Following the departure of Turkish coach Engin Firat, who failed to lead Harambee Stars to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, FKF has been searching for a replacement while temporarily appointing Francis Kimanzi.

Kimanzi, assisted by Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno and John Kamau, was tasked with preparing the team for the invitational Mapinduzi Cup tournament held in Zanzibar earlier this January.

In a recent social media update, FKF President Hussein Mohammed hinted at impending changes in the technical set-up, underlining the importance of strengthening this area and ensuring the staff has the necessary resources to perform their roles effectively.

“I had productive discussions with Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya and Permanent Secretary Peter Tum concerning the status of renovations on our sports facilities as we prepare for the 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN), upcoming commitments for our national squads, and governance reforms within the federation,” Mohammed noted.

“We also deliberated on enhancing the Harambee Stars technical bench to ensure they possess all the essential tools for leading the team to success.”

“One of the reasons for the delay in his appointment was our struggle to secure a work permit for him and the rest of the team. However, that has since been resolved – we have obtained work permits for the coach and his assistants, and are finalising the contract details.”

“While he will introduce his own technical staff, we aim to include one or two local coaches to support him. I can confirm that Nicholas (Muyoti) will indeed join the technical team as one of the assistants,” the source added.

When questioned about the future of interim coach Kimanzi, the source simply commented: “Kimanzi may be promoted to the role of Technical Director, but let’s not speculate ahead of the official announcement; all details will be clarified when we unveil McCarthy and his coaching staff.”

Muyoti, who started his career with lower-tier side Kenyatta Hospital FC while a student at Upper Hill School, is a former Kenyan captain known for winning the Castle Lager Cup in 2002.

He played for AFC Leopards and Thika United in the Kenyan Premier League before moving to Singapore in 2006, where he captained Sporting Afrique. After a stint there, he transferred to Churchill Brothers and later joined Sporting Clube de Goa for the 2007 season.

Injuries forced his departure from Flaming Oranje in 2008, yet he returned to Thika United for a season. He then moved to Sher Karuturi, Sofapaka FC, and ultimately returned ‘home’ to AFC Leopards in 2011, where he retired from playing at the end of that season.

Mientras at AFC Leopards, Muyoti was selected for the Harambee Stars team in 2001 and represented the national team until 2003. He earned his first cap at Amahoro Stadium under the late coach Reinhard Fabisch in the 2001 CECAFA Cup final against Ethiopia.

On the other hand, McCarthy has previously worked as a first-team coach at Manchester United and held the head coach position at South Africa’s AmaZulu. As a talented forward, he is the all-time leading scorer for the South African national team and the only South African to win the UEFA Champions League, achieving this with Porto in the 2003-04 season.

McCarthy’s managerial experience also includes stints at Hibernian, Sint-Truiden, and Cape Town City. He began his playing career at a local club named Young Pirates, managed by his uncles, before moving to Crusaders’ youth programme and then to professional football with Seven Stars at the age of 17.