NAIROBI, Kenya, August 28, 2026 – Football Kenya Federation (FKF) technical director Francis Kimanzi concedes it is difficult for many local coaches to upgrade to Caf A license due to limited slots and opportunities available.
The former Harambee Stars head coach said that the maximum number of slots provided by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) is 25 – or in some cases, 22.
“You know the number that is always given by CAF cannot exceed 25 because of the quality and of the class and what we want to do and in terms of producing better coaches. We need a smaller group to run with them for six and a half months. That means there’s always a challenge in trying to build fairness and get the right coaches who are there,” Kimanzi said.
Kimanzi further said the next CAF A coaching class is scheduled for September this year, for which they have already received hundreds of applications.
Sadly, however, the longstanding gaffer admitted many will miss out on the opportunity.
“The criteria is always very tough to us because for now we have one that is coming in September. You know we have more than 100 applications so we are still trying to see how we can juggle in there. Out of the 100 applications we have we still have we have three slots for foreigners. It’s a tough one for us because we know it takes a lot to see if we can display some good merit in picking the coaches that will be in that course. We’re only taking about 25 slots…if we exclude foreign coaches, then we are only talking about 22,” he said.
For one to successfully enrol for a CAF A coaching course, he or she must be a holder of a CAF B license and must have been actively tutoring for at least two years prior to application.
They must also be a gaffer at a top-tier (or second-tier) team or an elite academy.
The course takes six months, during which students are taken through rigorous training, including oral tactical presentations, theoretical examinations and practical sessions.
In Kenya, there are 49 accredited CAF A coaches, including Kimanzi, Harambee Starlets head coach Beldine Odemba, former Harambee Stars tacticians Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee, Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno, and KCB head coach Robert Matano, among others.
