Harambee Starlets without key trio for South Sudan showdown

Harambee Starlets defender Dorcas Shikobe (left) vies with Zambia forward Barbra Banda

Harambee Starlets defender Dorcas Shikobe (left) vies with Zambia forward Barbra Banda during their fourth round Tokyo 2020 Olympics qualifiers at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on November 8, 2019.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

Kenya face South Sudan in a two-leg tie with the Bright Starlets hosting the first leg on October 20 while Harambee Starlets will be at home on October 24. Both matches will be played at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi as South Sudan do not have a stadium that meets CAF regulations.

Harambee Starlets coach Charles Okere will be without long-serving skipper Dorcas Shikobe, defender Ruth Ingotsi and mercurial forward Mwanahalima 'Dogo' Adam for the contest.

Harambee Starlets will be without three crucial players when they launch their 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations (Awcon) qualifying campaign against South Sudan later this month.

Kenya face South Sudan in a two-leg tie with the Bright Starlets hosting the first leg on October 20 while Harambee Starlets will be at home on October 24. Both matches will be played at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi as South Sudan do not have a stadium that meets CAF regulations.

Harambee Starlets coach Charles Okere will be without long-serving skipper Dorcas Shikobe, defender Ruth Ingotsi and mercurial forward Mwanahalima 'Dogo' Adam for the contest.

Shikobe, 31, signed a one-year deal with Cyprus side Lakatamia FC in August and has played three matches in the Cypriot Division One women league.

Lakatamia are currently fifth on the standings on three points gained from one win and two losses in the nine team league.

In a letter addressed to Football Kenya Federation (FKF), the Cypriot clubs stated why they will not be releasing the players.

“Dorcas is in Cyprus with a tourist Visa and we are in queue waiting for the immigration department to call us for the process to issue a professional Visa. It is understandable that if she goes out of the country there will be a problem to re-enter again as her tourist visa will expire before the professional visa is issued," stated the letter.

Ingotsi joined Lakatamia FC on a three-year deal in January 2020 before moving in September to another Division one side, AEL Champions, on a two-year deal. She recently returned to Cyprus after the league took a break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Ruth Ingotsi, who previously was in Cyprus and during the Covid 19 restrictions, failed to get the professional Visa after her departure from the country was placed in the stop list. After two months' efforts we arranged for her to get a temporary Visa for the next 15 days to enter Cyprus and then start the process for a professional Visa. We are afraid that if we lose the dates there is a possibility that we will return to the previous status in the stop list. Furthermore, Ruth is without training and is clearly unfit to play after her long period away from the pitch,” said Costakis Loizou, the club's general secretary.

Adam left the country for Turkey on Sunday where she joined Hakkarigucu Spor on a season-long loan deal from Thika Queens.

The trio has been a vital cog in the national team in major assignments including 2018 Awcon qualifiers where Kenya lost to Equatorial Guinea in the preliminary rounds and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifiers where Kenya lost 3-2 on aggregate to Zambia in the fourth round.

They were also part of the team that won the 2019 Cecafa women’s Senior Challenge Cup after beating Tanzania 2-0 in the final in Dar es Salaam.