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The Harambee Starlets ended their West African tour on a challenging note, falling 1–0 to hosts Ivory Coast in their second international friendly at the 60,000-capacity Alassane Ouattara Ebimpé Olympic Stadium in Abidjan on Wednesday.
Rebecca Ello scored the decisive goal in the 21st minute, giving the Elephants back-to-back wins in their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) warm-up matches, following last weekend’s victory over Benin.
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This defeat marked Kenya’s second loss on the tour, after Monday’s 2–0 setback to Benin.
The friendly also served as the Starlets’ final international tune-up ahead of their second WAFCON appearance. The tournament is scheduled from March 17 to April 3 in Morocco. Kenya will open against the hosts on March 17, face Senegal on March 20, and close their group stage fixtures against Algeria on March 23.
Instead of returning to Nairobi, the team will fly to Miramas, France, on Thursday for a high-performance training camp running until March 15. The camp is aimed at finalizing preparations ahead of the tournament.
Kenya previously made their only WAFCON appearance in 2016 in Cameroon, where they exited the competition without a win, losing 3–1 to Ghana, 3–1 to Mali, and 4–0 to Nigeria.
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Despite the challenging history, head coach Beldine Odemba is confident in the team’s growth and potential.
“Preparation is key. Modern football demands organisation, teamwork, and belief,” said Odemba. “With a mix of young talent and experience, we aim to improve on 2016 and make a deeper run in the tournament.”
